Cash ‘ayuda’ to be sourced from 2020 budget savings
A ONE-time cash assistance of P1,000 per individual, or a maximum of P4,000 per family, will be distributed to some 10.7 million low-income residents of Metro Manila when the capital region goes under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from August 6 to 20.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said President Duterte has approved the allocation of P13.1 billion for the lockdown “ayuda,” which would be sourced from the savings of government agencies and departments “from their respective appropriations under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for fiscal year 2020” and in accordance with Administrative Order 41 issued by the President last May.
Roque said that if more cash aid is needed during the ECQ, the government can tap the “windfall” collection of the Bureau of Treasury.
Metro Manila will be under ECQ from August 6 to 20 to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), especially the Delta variant which is more infectious than the original virus.
Roque said that while the total assistance is expected to only amount to P10.7 billion, the government allocated P13.1 billion in case of “additional or unforeseen expenses.”
The 10.7 million figure as ECQ cash aid beneficiaries is approximately 80 percent of the 13 million residents of the National Capital Region.
Benhur Abalos Jr., chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), said the mayors of Metro Manila were set to meet yesterday to decide on what scheme to use for the distribution of the cash aid and finalize lockdown protocols that would be put in place starting Friday.
Abalos said the initial consensus was to adopt a door-to-door distribution scheme to avoid a repeat of the problems when local government units used the digital payout scheme of the Department of Social Welfare and Development during the provision of cash aid for the March to April ECQ in the NCR Plus bubble.
DSWD Director Irene Dumlao said the manual or face-to-face distribution of cash aid may be appropriate given the limited time to distribute the cash assistance, and the challenges in adopting a digital payment system such as the lack of information from beneficiaries and that some beneficiaries do not have smartphones, among others.
“However, we believe that certain gains resulted from the use of digital payouts as affirmed by the study conducted by the Innovations for Poverty Action, in collaboration with the World Bank and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), entitled ‘Monitoring Digital Financial Payments of Cash Transfer in the Philippines.’ According to the study, 92 percent of respondents reported high or very high satisfaction levels on the use of digital disbursements for SAP,” he said.
Roque said the government is hopeful that this will be the last time that the strictest lockdown will be implemented in any part of the country, especially since the number of vaccinated people is already increasing.
FOOD SECURITY
Agriculture Secretary William Dar, during the Laging Handa network briefing, assured those in Metro Manila of unhampered delivery of agricultural products such as fish and vegetables during the two-week lockdown.
Dar said businesses and operations in the agriculture and fishery sector will continue and will not be affected by the ECQ in Metro Manila.
“Even with the anticipated lockdown, operations in the agriculture and fishery will continue.
Their business will also remain operational. This will remain unhampered because we want their produce to reach the markets at affordable and reasonable prices,” he said.
Abalos said the truck ban in the region’s major roads will be lifted during the two week-ECQ to ensure that the delivery of cargoes, especially food products, will continue.
CURFEW
Abalos said people travelling around Metro Manila to undergo vaccination will be exempted from the 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew, as he noted reports that some NCR local government units will implement 24/7 vaccination, or what is called the “Bakuna Nights” program, as they ramp up the inoculation activities in their jurisdictions.
PNP Deputy Chief for Operation and Joint Task Force Covid Shield head, Lt. Gen. Israel Ephraim Dickson said 1,019 PNP personnel are now deployed in 75 quarantine checkpoints that have been established in various areas around the NCR Bubble (Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal) to intensify border control.
PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar directed the National Capital Region Police Office to strictly enforce the curfew hours.
“The strict border control and the longer curfew hours are but some of the necessary interventions to prevent the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19,” Eleazar said, adding that policemen should closely coordinate with barangay officials in enforcing the curfew.
Eleazar said the longer curfew hours will help in preventing drinking sessions and other mass gatherings in NCR.
Eleazar said policemen will also help in the enforcement of the liquor ban that have been imposed by some local government units in NCR.
LOCKED DOWN
The local government of Dasmariñas City in Cavite has placed a subdivision under lockdown due to increasing number of COVID-19 infections.
The lockdown of Mabuhay City Subdivision from August 1 until August 7 was approved by officials of the city’s COVID-19 Task Force, the Dasmariñas City Council, Barangay Paliparan and the homeowners’ association.
As of July 29, the city has recorded a total of 61 COVID-19 cases, or 30 more than the reported cases as of July 24.
“To prevent it from spreading in the area and nearby barangay, a decision was reached to implement a localized lockdown,” said Dasmariñas City Mayor Austria in an executive order.
Personnel from the Dasmariñas City police and Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team have deployed to guard entry and exit points of the subdivision.
Residents are allowed to go out to buy food only from 5 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Residents who want to buy medicines are advised to give their prescriptions or payment to barangay officials who have been assigned to secure medicines for the residents.
Food deliveries are not allowed inside the subdivision. Residents may pick-up the goods they ordered at the gate of the subdivision.
A 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew is being enforced by the policemen who are doing patrols inside the subdivision.
Violators of the curfew and of the minimum health standards will be brought to the covered court where they will stay for 24 hours. They will later be asked to do community service.
In Cebu City, Vice Mayor Michael Rama vowed to arrest people involved in hoarding oxygen supply amid the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the city.
Rama, serving as the acting city mayor on the absence of Mayor Edgardo Labella who is on medical leave due to pnuemonia, said he has directed the local police to work closely with the Department of Trade Industry to address the concern.
“I’ve also been telling the police, the marching order (is) to assist DTI to avoid hoarding and anyone violating, then we will have the (force) of the law to fall upon their heads,” Rama told the Laging Handa press briefing.
There are reports that some private hospitals in the city have been hoarding oxygen cylinders or supply due to growing COVID-19 infections in Cebu City.
Rama said the city is also addressing reports about the shortage of COVID-19 hospital beds and is putting up more hospital beds for patients.
“It’s really a concern,” said Rama, adding that the city’s healthcare system is a “serious concern.”
Rama also appealed to qualified city residents to come forward and serve as medical staff.
“The city council will give an incentive, P10,000 a month and that will be for three months and hopefully that will in a way entice them and encourage them to apply,” said Rama.
“Volunteer, come forward, offer yourself to be available as medical staff,” added Rama.
Also, Rama announced they have converted the city’s sports complex into a facility that will house COVID-19 patients who are asymptomatic, or those with mild or moderate cases.
Rama appealed to residents to stay at home if they have nothing to do outside to prevent the further spread of the virus.
Cebu City is currently under modified enhanced community quarantine.
Based on Department of Health data as of last Monday, Cebu City has registered a total of 31,003 COVID-19 cases, of which 28,146 have already recovered, 1,947 are active cases and 910 died.
CONGRESS
Senate President Vicente Sotto III has suspended Senate sessions starting Monday next week up to the 20th due to the threat of the highly-transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19.
Sotto, however said that he may at anytime call for a session when needed even as sessions are suspended.
“…I will (declare to) suspend (sessions) on Wednesday until (we come back on) August 23 without prejudice to my calling a possible session before the 23rd if it becomes necessary,” Sotto said in a message to the media on Monday night.
He said it is up to the chairman of a Senate committee if he or she will call for a committee hearing while the sessions are suspended “as long as virtually only so that the employees will not be exposed.”
The House of Representatives will likewise suspend plenary sessions from August 6 to 20.
On the instructions of Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, House Secretary General Mark Llandro Mendoza issued Monday a memorandum suspending regular office work in the House starting August 5.
“The threat of this Delta variant is real, as evidenced by the surge in cases in certain regions around the world,” Velasco said. “By suspending regular office work and other preventive measures, we hope to contribute to the government’s effort in preventing a surge of infection that could possibly put our health care system in serious jeopardy.”
Beginning yesterday and until today, office hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with sessions starting from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m., according to the Speaker’s memo.
The House leadership cited the “heightened restrictions being imposed due to the surge of COVID-19 cases, and for the health and safety of our House members and employees.”
During the ECQ period, all meetings will be held via videoconferencing and only Secretariat personnel with extremely essential tasks shall be allowed to report physically to the office as all congressional offices will be closed.
Antigen testing shall be made available for those reporting physically for work and should there be available vaccines, the vaccination program at the Batasan building will continue. — With Raymond Africa and Victor Reyes