The government has been "diligent" in providing financial aid to Filipinos hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, President Duterte declared Wednesday after learning the "ayuda" distribution is almost complete.
According to the President, billions worth of assistance have been given to poor beneficiaries, contrary to allegations the government has been lacking in helping the poor.
Duterte made the statement after Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año reported that the government's distribution of "ayuda" to National Capital Region Plus beneficiaries was 99.67 percent complete.
So far, Año said the government distributed P22.8 billion worth of cash assistance to 22,838,875 beneficiaries in these places earlier placed under a two-week enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
"What is being given to you now by the DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government), ito 'yong tulong, it runs into billions. Pay attention sa nandiyan nakikita ninyo ngayon, mga Pilipino, kaya ang sabi ninyo walang binigay ang --- ang gobyerno na tulong. Nauubos nga dahil diyan sa assistance ninyo (Filipinos should pay attention to the report. To those saying the government gave no aid, resources are actually being exhausted for this assistance program)," Duterte said during a televised address late Wednesday.
"(The) DILG has been very diligent in giving the money. Sila ang inaasahan ko na sila ang magbigay na nakikita naman ninyo (I am counting on them to distribute the aid and you're seeing it)," he said.
Duterte further said: "I said pay attention to the figures because then you would know magkano ang binibigay ng gobyerno na ayuda para sa Pilipino na naghihirap (how much aid the government has been giving to poor Filipinos)."
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Last March, President Duterte approved the PP22.9-billion supplemental amelioration program to help millions of poor Filipinos to cope with the ECQ declared in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal.
The original proposal made by the Department of Budget and Management was to distribute financial aid worth P1,000 in-kind each to 22.9 million poor persons, but no more than P4,000 per family.
The Palace later decided that local government units will be given "leeway" to decide on whether to give assistance in cash or in-kind to their qualified constituents.
After a strict lockdown, Metro Manila and the nearby provinces have eased to the general community quarantine but with heightened restrictions until the end of May.