President Rodrigo Duterte announced that the government is launching the largest and broadest social protection program in Philippine history as part of efforts to help underprivileged families cope with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically the Luzon-wide Enhanced Community Quarantine.
In a presidential address Monday night, the President stressed that the government “is now taking action and undertaking several key measures to overcome and recover from the effects of this pandemic.”
“Government will exert all efforts to ensure that millions of Filipino families are taken care of.”
“The government is now launching the largest and widest social protection program in our country’s history… to make up for the loss of economic opportunities due to the quarantine measures in place for COVID-19,” said the President
The President revealed that the government has “allotted 200 billion pesos for low-income households who are badly affected by the current crisis.”
“Sila ang nasa informal sector and those who live day-to-day on subsistence wages or no-work, no-pay arrangements. Beneficiary-households will receive emergency support for two months based on the regional minimum wage,” explained the President.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles added that the Department of Social Welfare and Development would in the coming days, roll out details of the P200 billion Emergency Subsidy Program (ESP), which will provide cash and non-cash subsidies for 18 million household beneficiaries.
The subsidies range from P5,000 to P8,000 a month and should cover expenses for food, medicine, and toiletries. The ESP will be implemented for two months, from April to May this year.
“This public health crisis has disrupted the lives and livelihoods of many of our countrymen, but government will exert all efforts to ensure that millions of Filipino families are taken care of; di po kayo pababayaan ng gobyerno ninyo,” said Nograles.
Funds for the ESP will be sourced from the 275 billion pesos the government has been allowed to tap under Republic Act No. 11469 or the Bayanihan We Heal as One Act.