The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said it has already directed the Bureau of the Treasury to release P22.9 billion in financial assistance to more than 22 million individuals belonging to low-income families in Metro Manila and adjacent provinces placed under the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).
In a statement, the budget department said Tuesday, March 30, that it released the Special Allotment Release Order and Notices of Cash Allocation, or the documents necessary for the disbursement of the financial assistance approved by President Duterte.
According to the DBM, the P22.9 billion aid is intended to support low-income households that were placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in the National Capital Region, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal, also knowns as “NCR Plus.”
“They are entitled to receive P1,000 per person but not to exceed P4,000 per family either in cash or in kind based on the most efficient and effective mechanism to be identified by their respective LGUs ,” DBM said.
Around 22.915-million individuals are expected to benefit from the latest financial assistance based on projections from the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), DBM said.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will assist the LGUs in the implementation of the distribution of the financial assistance to the targeted beneficiaries
“Beneficiaries of earlier Social Amelioration Programs of the DSWD shall be prioritized as beneficiaries of this financial assistance,” DBM said.
The department, however, ordered the DSWD to submit the complete list of beneficiaries to the DBM, Commission on Audit, and other agencies as well as post the list in conspicuous places in the LGU.
“The DBM is committed to fulfill its mandate of promoting the efficient and effective management of the national budget to support its budget priorities while also ensuring that the needs of the Filipino people, especially during challenging times such as this, are met,” the agency said.