Government Will Not Run Out of Funds of Cash Aid During ECQ Period, Malacañang Palace Says
ECQ AYUDA – Malacañang Palace assured the Filipino people that the government will not run out of funds of ECQ cash aid.
On Thursday (August 5, 2021), Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that the government has sufficient funds to provide financial assistance for families who will be affected by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez said that the funds including the dividends of Government-Owned and -Controlled Corporations (GOCC) and savings from different government agencies, according to Roque.
“Hindi po tayo mauubusan ng pondo, iyan ang assurance natin sa taumbayan,” Roque said.
Roque said that the government allocates P13.1 billion to ECQ ‘ayuda ‘ during the two-week lockdown in Metro Manila starting from August 6 until August 20, 2021. Low-income families will be prioritized for cash aid distribution.
However, the presidential spokesperson said that the government’s pandemic task force will still discuss if areas outside Metro Manila will be placed under ECQ. He said that highly urbanized areas including Metro Manila, CALABARZON and Central Luzon cannot be easily placed under ECQ because it holds 60% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
The Philippine government announced the implementation of ECQ in Metro Manila due to the increasing cases of COVID-19 Delta variant infections, which is considered as more contagious compared to the original ones.
During the ECQ lockdown, only Authorized Persons Outside Residence or APORs such as essential workers, vaccinees, and consumers are allowed to go outside. Several LGUs will require consumer APORs for quarantine passes.
Read Also: QC Government Issues Guidelines vs Panic Buying & Hoarding During ECQ
Here is the list of cities that will require quarantine passes:
- Quezon City – New Passes Only
- Manila City – Old and New Passes Are Acceptable
- Caloocan City – Old and New Passes Are Acceptable
- Valenzuala City – New Passes Only
- San Juan City – New Passes Only, APORs not required
- Navotas City – Passes or IDs
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