Manila City Mayor “Isko Moreno” on Monday announced the early release of P1.76 billion in financial assistance, incentives, and barangay shares to support residents and keep the city’s economy moving, to help Manileños from the impact of rising global oil prices.

The funding package, sourced from the city’s General Fund and Trust Fund, aims to inject funds into communities by accelerating payouts to residents, students, public sector workers, healthcare personnel, and barangays across Manila.

Speaking during the weekly flag-raising ceremony at Manila City Hall, Domagoso said the city government decided to expedite the release of funds originally scheduled in the coming weeks so that families and communities could immediately benefit from the assistance.

“Starting today, we will release funds to stimulate, augment, and cushion our situation in the City of Manila amounting to about 1.7 billion pesos,” the mayor said.

“Ito po ay mga bagay na tutuusin natin sa darating na mga panahon, obligasyon na darating pa sa mga ibang linggo, but this time is the right time to release it early so that kahit papaano, hawak na ng tao, hawak na ng mga barangay (These are obligations that we will have to settle in the coming weeks anyway, but we believe this is the right time to release them earlier so that, at the very least, the people and the barangays already have the funds in their hands),” he added.

According to Domagoso, the assistance will directly benefit around 330,000 Manileños, or roughly 15 percent of the city’s population, many of whom are heads of households.

“The total direct individuals is more or less about 330,000 of them, Manileño. That is amounting to about 15 percent of our population. And most of these are the heads of the family, that may have what you call a trickle-down effect,” he said.

Of the total amount, P594.76 million will come from the General Fund, while P1.165 billion will be sourced from the Trust Fund, bringing the total to P1,760,163,485.42.

Domagoso emphasized that timely action is crucial during times of economic uncertainty, noting that putting money in people’s hands helps sustain economic activity.

“In a crisis, time is always of the essence. Time is very valuable. Actions, and timely actions, is a very important key element in addressing a crisis situation,” the mayor said.

“If we can raise the buying capacity or purchasing power of our community, then the businesses will benefit from it, the jobs will be protected, and the economy will continue to evolve, what you call the velocity of money effect,” he added.

A large portion of the funds will go to the city’s Social Amelioration Program, which will distribute P427,849,000 in allowances covering January to March 2026 to 287,095 beneficiaries.

The allocation includes P310,157,500 for senior citizens, P25,658,500 for solo parents, P75,978,000 for adult persons with disabilities, and P16,055,000 for minor PWD beneficiaries.

The city will also release P51,129,000 in educational assistance to 17,043 students enrolled in Universidad de Manila and Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.

Of the total amount, P27,522,000 will go to UDM students, while P23,607,000 will be distributed to PLM students.

Financial assistance will likewise be provided to personnel from national government agencies operating in the city, with P103,289,834.45 allocated for 16,425 beneficiaries.

This includes P68,053,214.45 in incentives for public school teachers under the Schools Division Office of Manila, P32,169,120 for personnel of the Manila Police District, and P3,067,500 for members of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.

Additional allocations totaling P12,494,376 will be released under various assistance programs, including P9,678,000 for senior high school students under the Schools Division of Manila and P2,816,376 for the Bureau of Fire Protection.

From the Trust Fund, the city government will also distribute P1,094,082,181.12 in barangay shares, including P25,411,000 from barangay clearance collections and P1,068,671,181.12 representing the Real Property Tax share of Manila’s 896 barangays.

Meanwhile, P71,319,093.85 in PhilHealth professional fee sharing will be released to 6,495 healthcare workers from the city-run hospitals and the Manila Health Department.

These include personnel from Ospital ng Sampaloc, Sta. Ana Hospital, Jose Abad Santos General Hospital, Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center, Ospital ng Maynila, and Ospital ng Tondo.