Duque assures assistance for affected residents in ECQ areas

The government would provide assistance to families who would be affected by the enhanced community quarantine to curb the surge in COVID-19 cases particularly in the National Capital Region, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has said.

Duque made the remark hours after Malacañang announced that Metro Manila would be placed under the strictest quarantine classification from August 6 to 20 in light of the threat posed by the highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant.

Asked at a briefing if aid was forthcoming for residents of areas under ECQ, Duque said, “Absolutely."

"We cannot go into very high community quarantine classification for Metro Manila and also for the class areas of CALABARZON and Region 3 without putting on the table the issue of social amelioration,” Duque said.

Duque said the funding for the aid is currently being identified by the Department of Finance.

“I say that this will be forthcoming when higher community quarantine classification is announced, again, depending on the fresh data that we receive and the evidence of an increasing number of cases presumably driven by the Delta variant and other variants for the matter,” Duque said.

“It has been the policy of the government to mitigate the impact of high or very extreme community quarantine by way of social amelioration programs such as the cash aid that will be distributed to individuals and families,” he added.

Data presented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development showed that the first tranche of social amelioration program benefitted 17.9 million households, equivalent to P99.9 billion disbursed. It was released from April to June.

Meanwhile, 14 million households benefitted from the second tranche of the cash doles program, less than the 18 million target after beneficiaries were reduced by 4 million.

Findings presented by Social Watch Philippines showed that vulnerable households across the country were given less assistance than what they are entitled to under the cash doles program.

The Philippines has logged a total of 1,580,824 confirmed cases, of which 1,491,182 have recovered and 27,722 have died.

Senators on Friday asked the government to ensure the availability of dunds for cash assistance amid the ECQ.

“As we protect our people from the virus, we must shield them from hunger, too. The lockdown should come with timely and adequate cash aid and other available assistance to see them through the two-week period,” Senator Grace Poe said in a statement.

“The government should not give them reason to leave their homes and face the perils of the more transmissible Delta variant,” she added.

Poe also asked the public to take advantage of the lockdowns to avail of the vaccines against COVID-19.

“We count on our frontliners to find ways to bring the doses and the appropriate assistance closest to communities to ease the challenges of getting vaccinated,” Poe said.

Senator Bong Go made the same appeal for cash aid.

“Ang apela ko sa mga ahensya ng gobyerno ay siguraduhing merong sapat na pondo para mabigyan ng ayuda ang mga pinakamahihirap at pinakanangangailangan na kababayan natin sa mga lugar na magiging under ng ECQ,” he said. —with Hana Bordey/NB, GMA News