By Jel Santos
A week after the implementation of the Makatizen Economic Relief Program (MERP), the local government unit (LGU) of Makati City has already rolled out its P5,000-cash assistance to 114,828 qualified individuals, Mayor Abigail Binay said on Wednesday.
Makati Mayor Abby Binay (My Makati / MANILA BULLETIN)
Residents of Makati, under the MERP, are entitled to P5,000 cash assistance as part of the city’s relief efforts to mitigate the economic impact caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
“I am happy to report that we have already rolled out our cash assistance to over 114,800 residents in just six working days. This has been made possible through the digital platforms we have utilized to reach more beneficiaries faster,” she said.
The LGU said they were able to conduct contactless and efficient delivery of financial assistance to residents by partnering with G-Cash.
According to Binay, out of some 250,000 applications received since she announced the program, 142,267 have been approved.
In addition, the mayor said around 10,000 applications were rejected by G-Cash, because of incomplete and incorrect information submitted by the applicants.
Rejected applications, she said, will get a call or text message explaining why their application was rejected, and what appropriate steps they can take to get approved.
“There is no need to panic because we have allotted enough budget for the program to cover 500,000 residents,” she assured.
Meanwhile, the mayor urged residents to apply online for the program via the Makatizen App or the www.proudmakatizen.com portal, assuring them that the processing of online applications is now faster.
“Online applicants who qualify can receive their P5,000 in six working days after they register," said Binay.