Malacañang asked for the public's understanding about the slow distribution of the cash aid or "ayuda," saying the government had to be extra careful in order to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque made the statement as the government continues to distribute the ayuda to residents of areas under the National Capital Region-plus (NCR-plus) bubble.

In his press briefing, Roque said P4 billion of the P23 billion allocated for the program have been disbursed. He, however, apologized if the distribution was taking a long time to be completed.

"Humihingi po tayo ng paumanhin dahil talagang medyo may kabagalan (We would like to apologize because the distribution is really slow)," he said.

He explained that the government was just being cautious about spreading COVID-19.

"Sa panahon po kasi ng pandemya hindi po natin maiiwasan na talagang mag-ingat (We cannot help but be extra careful especially during this time of a pandemic)," Roque said.

"Baka mamaya mabigay nga ang ayuda, eh magkaroon naman ng COVID ang taumbayan (In the end, you may get the cash aid but you might get COVID-19 as well)," he added.

The Palace official assured affected residents that more assistance was forthcoming.

"Patuloy naman pong namimigay tayo ng ating ayuda (The distribution of the financial assistance is ongoing) and more aid are forthcoming," he said.

The government has allotted P23 billion for this round of "ayuda" for the residents of the NCR-plus bubble area. Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal are all under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).

In this round of cash aid, every individual is entitled to P1,000 or a maximum of P4,000 per family.

Meanwhile, Roque explained why the government did not choose to distribute the cash aid electronically.

"Ang iniiwasan ata yung service fee kasi ayaw na nating mabawasan yung makukuha ng taumbayan dahil alam natin na hindi naman masyadong malaki (What we are trying to avoid is the service fee because we don't want the aid to be deducted because it's already a small amount)," he said.

"So hangga't maaari, ayaw nang mabawasan ni Presidente yung makukuhang ayuda ng mga kababayan natin (as much as possible, the President wanted the residents to receive the cash aid in full)," he added.