The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has provided more than P300,000 in financial assistance to over 150 locally stranded individuals (LSIs) in Metro Manila under the government’s “Hatid Tulong” program.
In a statement, the DSWD said a P2,000 pre-departure financial assistance has been extended to around 154 LSIs during the third leg of the Hatid Tulong Grand Send-Off last Oct. 19 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Complex, Pasay City.
The assistance given to LSIs who returned to Regions 8 (Eastern Visayas), 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula), 10 (Northern Mindanao), 11 (Davao), and 12 (Socsargen) totaled P 308,000, it said.
The DSWD said aside from the cash assistance, it also provided Family Food Packs (FFPs), sleeping kits, and hygiene kits to the LSIs.
"After receiving assistance, the LSIs were transferred to Pier 13 where they were transported to their respective regions through the help of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG),” it said.
It noted that upon their arrival in their e hometowns, the LSIs are required to undergo a 14-day quarantine to ensure that they are COVID-free.
Hatid Tulong is the government's assistance initiative that seeks to transport back those who were stranded in Metro Manila during the coronavirus lockdown to their provinces.
The DSWD noted that the initiative is being led by the Presidential Management Staff and has been implemented in compliance with the health protocols and guidelines to control the spread of COVID-19.
Other government agencies that are also involved in the initiative were the Philippine Army (PA), Department of Health (DoH), Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), Department of Transportation (DOTr), and Department of Agriculture (DA), it said.