QUEZON CITY The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) announced that as of August 16, 2021, a total of P4.5 Billion in ayuda has already been distributed to beneficiaries, out of the P11.2 Billion released by the National Government to the cities and lone municipality in the National Capital Region (NCR) placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from August 6 to 20, 2021.
“Nasa 4,566,655 low-income individuals na po ang nakinabang sa ating ayuda at tuloy-tuloy pa rin po ang ating pagbibigay ng ayuda ng ating mga LGUs,” said DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Ano.
“Bukod pa rito, para may transparency, ay naipaskil na rin sa lahat ng local government units (LGUs) ang listahan ng kaniya-kaniyang mga benepisaryo sa mga barangay hall, website at official social media platforms para po sa kaalaman ng lahat,” he added.
The P4.5-billion amounts to 40.57% of the ayuda allocated for the NCR. The current distribution is in accordance with the provisions of Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 3, series of 2021, of the DILG, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Department of National Defense.
The NCR LGUs have also received the additional P368 Million approved by the President that was requested by NCR LGUS as additional financial assistance to Metro Manila.
Under the guidelines, NCR LGUs have 15 days from the start to complete the distribution of ayuda to their constituents. This means NCR LGUs have until August 25 to complete the distribution.
“We congratulate the NCR LGUs for an orderly and systematic distribution of Ayuda. We are doing distribution everyday. We have not received any report of any untoward incident and our PNP is there to ensure that all minimum health standards are met,” he said.
The DILG Chief also shared that all 17 LGUs in the NCR have established a fully operational Grievance and Appeals Committee within their respective localities. All of the 17 LGUs in the region have also formed and convened a Joint Monitoring and Inspection Committee led by the DILG.
Among the local government units in NCR, the Cities of Caloocan, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Taguig, and Makati have so far garnered the highest percentage of financial assistance distributed. Caloocan is at 59.78%, San Juan 56.51%, Mandaluyong 55.22%, Taguig 53.41% and Makati City 51.48%.
Ano assured the public that the Department, in close coordination with LGUs and the Philippine National Police (PNP), is ensuring the safety and security of all those involved during the ongoing distribution of ayuda, as well as the strict observance of minimum public health standards against the spread of COVID-19.
The DILG Chief commended the LGUs of Makati, Muntinlupa, Caloocan, and Paranaque for adopting various initiatives, such as the use of electronic and bank-assisted options, to ensure faster distribution of ayuda to recipients.
Starting this week, the provinces of Laguna and Bataan will also start distributing ayuda to their low-income constituents as the two provinces have also been declared under ECQ. (DILG)
