The distribution of “special” cash assistance to individuals and families affected by the imposition of localized lockdowns in Visayas has already begun, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has disclosed.
In a Facebook post, the DSWD Western Visayas said the Special Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) payout started in the municipalities of Anilao and Mina, Iloilo province on Saturday, July 31.
“People in Anilao get assistance from the national government as they receive the cash aid under the Special AICS,” it wrote on Facebook.
It noted that the Special AICS is being implemented to respond to the needs of the affected families and individuals in Iloilo province and Iloilo City, which were placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) effective July 16.
DSWD-Western Visayas Regional Director Ma. Evelyn B. Macapobre called on the local government units (LGUs) to expedite the distribution of the cash aid to its intended beneficiaries.
She said they “have already transferred 100 percent of the fund for Special AICS to the LGUs."
Milo Patarata Sr. of Barangay Cabalabaguan, Mina, Iloilo thanked the government for extending cash aid to them, saying it will be used to buy their family’s basic needs, such as rice. Patarata’s family is a Pantawid Pamilya beneficiary.
More than one million individuals and families affected by ECQ in Visayas and Mindanao are targeted to receive “special” cash assistance from the government.
The DSWD announced on July 26 the provision of cash assistance to Iloilo province including Iloilo City; Cagayan de Oro City, and Gingoog City in Misamis Oriental, more than six hours before President Duterte physically delivered his sixth and final State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Batasang Pambansa.
The recipients will receive P1,000 cash assistance for each member with a maximum amount of P4,000 per family through the AICS of the DSWD.
The provision of “special” financial assistance was made possible after the DSWD, along with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Department of National Defense (DND), signed on July 25 the Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 2, Series of 2021 or the implementing guidelines for the aid distribution to LGUs under ECQ.
Related story: https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/26/special-ayuda-on-the-way-to-over-1-million-ecq-affected-families-individuals-in-visayas-mindanao-dswd/