The government will provide assistance to poor individuals residing in the National Capital Region (NCR) and other areas under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), but not in the form of cash.
Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado on Monday said the “supplemental amelioration program” would provide in-kind assistance worth P1,000 to low-income residents of the “NCR-Plus” bubble.
The budget for the assistance program will be sourced from leftover Bayanihan 2 funds, Avisado said.
A total of 22.9 million beneficiaries will receive aid: 11.2 million from Metro Manila, 3 million from Bulacan, 3.4 million from Cavite, 2.7 million from Laguna and 2.6 million from Rizal.
Avisado said the P22.9-billion budget would be distributed to local government units, who were tasked to identify beneficiaries within their areas of jurisdiction.
A maximum of four individuals per family can receive in-kind aid.
NCR-Plus is under ECQ until April 4.
Last year, eligible families whose sources of income were halted by the Covid-19 pandemic in areas under ECQ were given cash aids of P5,000 to P8,000 per month for two months.
ECQ was reimposed in NCR Plus amid a surge in Covid-19 cases. John Ezekiel J. Hirro