President Duterte has approved the distribution of cash aid to residents in need in areas under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) as some areas moved to the strictest risk classification due to the spike in coronavirus (COVID-19) cases.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque made the announcement after Duterte approved the recommendation to place Iloilo City, Iloilo Province, Cagayan de Oro City, and Gingoog City under ECQ from August 1 to 7, 2021.
In his press briefing on Thursday, Roque said the cash aid will come from the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
He said each resident in the said areas can receive P1,000 or up to a maximum of P4,000 per family.
"Inaprubahan ng Presidente ang pagbigay ng P1,000 tulong sa mga nangangailangang kababayan natin sa mga areas na nasa illaim ng ECQ at ito ay hanggang maximum na apat kada pamilya (The President has approved the distribution of P1,000 cash aid to residents in need in areas under the ECQ and this is up to a maximum of four persons per family)," Roque announced.
"Ang pondo po ay dina-download na po sa mga lokal na pamahalaan ng (The funds are being downloaded to the local governments of) Iloilo province, Iloilo City, Cagayan De Oro City, Gingoog City," he added.
On Wednesday, the government kept the strict quarantine restrictions in several parts of the country next month to stem the surging cases of the Delta coronavirus variant.
Four areas were placed under the modified ECQ (MECQ), namely Ilocos Norte, Bataan, Lapu-Lapu City, and Mandaue City.
Meanwhile, Metro Manila was retained under the general community quarantine (GCQ) "with heightened restrictions" from August 1 to 15 due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
Also under GCQ with heightened restrictions until August 15 are Ilocos Sur, Cagayan, Bulacan, Laguna, Lucena City, Cavite, Rizal, Naga City, Antique, Aklan, Bacolod City, Capiz, Negros Oriental, Zamboanga del Sur, Misamis Oriental, Davao City, Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro, Davao Occidental, and Butuan City.