NCR households to get P1,000 to P4,000 cash aid as region goes under ECQ in August

Malacañang said Monday that low-income residents of the National Capital Region (NCR) will receive P1,000 to P4,000 cash aid due to the region going under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) amid the COVID-19 pandemic from August 6 to 20.

"Walang ECQ kung walang ayuda," presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.

"Sigurado may ibibigay na P1,000 per person and maximum of P4,000 per family. Hindi pa lang sigurado saan kukunin," he added.

(P1,000 per person and a maximum of P4,000 per family will surely be given [to qualified beneficiaries]. We just don't know yet where the funds will be sourced from.)

Roque said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is expected to identify on Monday afternoon the funding source for such cash aid.

"Para maibigay po ito sa lalong madaling panahon," he added.

(So the financial assistance can be given out at the soonest possible time.)

Malacañang on Thursday said the government will release a cash aid of P1,000 to P4,000 per family in areas in the country under ECQ amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Roque said this cash aid is under the Department of Social Welfare and Development's Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations.

Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said it is looking for funding sources for possible assistance to workers who will be affected by the two-week ECQ in Metro Manila.

At the Laging Handa briefing on Monday, Labor Undersecretary Benjo Santos Benavidez said the agency has yet to determine whether it would use its available budget or ask for additional funds from the Department of Budget and Management. 

The DOLE previously handed out cash assistance to cushion the impact of the pandemic on workers. —KG, GMA News