emergency subsidy program in PH

Only 9% of ECQ ‘ayuda’ unclaimed as distribution period ends

Dwight de Leon

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Only 9% of ECQ ‘ayuda’ unclaimed as distribution period ends

Residents brave the summer heat as they line up at the stretch of a sidewalk along Edsa corner Cubao, Quezon City to receive their emergency fund assistance from the government on Friday, April 9, 2021.

Jire Carreon

Bulacan and Laguna have the highest completion rate in the distribution of supplemental aid from the national government

Local government units (LGUs) in areas affected by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from March 29 to April 11 have distributed P21.06 billion out of the P22.91 billion worth of financial aid, the DILG said on Monday, May 17.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government said this accounted to 91% of the cash aid intended for low-income earners in Metro Manila and four nearby provinces, collectively known as “NCR Plus.”

Thirty-seven LGUs were able to complete the distribution of the “ayuda,” while most of the remaining LGUs distributed at least a 90% as of May 15, the DILG said.

May 15 was the extended deadline set by the DILG for the disbursement of funds by the LGUs to qualified recipients. 

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said the remaining 9% were funds that were unclaimed by residents who left “NCR Plus.”

“Despite diligent efforts by the LGUs, some of the beneficiaries did not claim their ‘ayuda’ because they have moved to the provinces or are no longer residing in their LGUs,” Año said.

“Many of them were also delisted because they were found to be duplicates in the Social Amelioration Program list. The LGUs have started to prepare a new payroll in order to distribute these unclaimed funds,” he added.

Bulacan, Laguna topnotchers

Bulacan and Laguna had the highest completion rates, distributing 96.85% and 96.5% of supplemental aid to residents.

Rizal ranked third with 93.34%, Metro Manila was fourth with 90.99%, and Cavite placed last with 86.04%.

LGUs started aid distribution around the first to second week of April, and were originally given a 15-day deadline by the DILG to distribute the funds.

But the national government on April 20 granted their request to extend the deadline, acknowledging that prohibition on public gatherings hampered the distribution.

Some 22.9 million low-income individuals were entitled to P1,000 worth of cash or in-kind assistance from the P22.9 billion in leftover funds of the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act.

Groups have said at the time that the allotted government aid was not enough. — Rappler.com

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Dwight de Leon

Dwight de Leon is a multimedia reporter who covers President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Malacañang, and the Commission on Elections for Rappler.