Release of 'ayuda' to start on August 11, Metro Manila mayors agree


The release of the ayuda (cash assistance) for the qualified recipients in the National Capital Region (NCR) placed under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) will begin on August 11, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said Monday, August 9.

Malaya said the date of the distribution of the cash assistance was agreed upon by mayors of Metro Manila during its recent meeting.

“Nag-meeting po kami ng mga mayors the other night para nga paplantsahin 'yung ating proseso ng pamimigay ng ayuda at nagkasundo po sila na sabay-sabay silang magsisimula sa Miyerkoles (We had a meeting with the mayors the other night to work out the process for the release of the ayuda and they agreed to the simultaneous start of the distribution on Wednesday),’’ Malaya said.

With the danger posed by the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) especially its Delta variant, Malaya said that the Local Government Units of Metro Manila will post the list of the qualified cash aid recipients and schedules as to when they could claim their ayuda.

He added that most of the NCR local government units will release the funds through distribution points. Around 11 million NCR residents will benefit from the cash assistance.

Each low-income individual will get P1,000 financial assistance with each qualified family receiving a maximum of P4,000.

Due to the spike in COVID-19 Delta variant cases, Metro Manila was placed under ECQ in a bid to at least slow down the transmission of the virus in the country.

Under the ECQ guidelines, only authorized persons outside residence (APOR) will be allowed to leave their homes which include employers and workers in industries permitted to operate under it.

In a previous GMA News interview on August 7, DILG Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III said that the government is also preparing a separate funds for the ayuda of Laguna which was placed under ECQ until August 15.

Densing pointed out that the national government “automatically” considers providing cash aid to the qualified beneficiaries in areas placed under ECQ.

Despite Densing’s assurance, a number of poor individuals in Metro Manila especially in the depressed areas appealed to the government to raise the ayuda complaining that the current cash aid is insufficient to tide them up during the two-week ECQ period. (Chito A. Chavez)