DILG vows no delay in distribution of 'ayuda' in Metro Manila
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government vowed there will be no delay in the distribution of cash aid for low-income families in Metro Manila.
“All local goverment units in the NCR will be starting their 'Ayuda II' distribution today, including the City of Manila,” DILG Spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said in a statement Wednesday.
Malaya said that the DILG and the Department of Social Welfare and Development will supervise the start of the 'Ayuda II' or cash aid distribution in the City of Manila to ensure the orderly conduct of payout in the city.
He said that additional personnel from the DSWD and the DILG have been deployed in all distribution sites in the City of Manila to supervise the pay-out of the Manila Social Welfare Department and ensure orderly and systematic distribution.
“[Interior] Secretary Eduardo Año has also directed [Police Maj.] Gen. Vicente Danao, [Metro Manila police chief,] to deploy additional police officers and social distance patrollers to the City of Manila for an orderly distribution,” he said.
He said that the DILG, DSWD, and Department of National Defense are "committed to ensuring that the distribution of financial assistance is timely, orderly, and given to qualified beneficiaries."
Activist group hits lack of ayuda plans heading into ECQ
As it currently stands, though, the distribution of aid for the poor is already delayed as the ECQ was hoisted in Metro Manila on Friday, August 6.
In a statement, progressive labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno pointed to what it said was the Duterte government’s ill-preparedness when it comes to lockdown implementation.
“The lockdown has been going on for a week, the workers and people are hungry. Give enough help and for everyone!" said Jerome Adonis, KMU secretary-general.
“This is the problem, because not preparing for the lockdown, will be really slow because our LGUs are also considering that the aid will not be a superspreader. Some facilities are also used to vaccinate. National government solutions must have weighed and developed this before even declaring a lockdown. But our President seems to be preoccupied with knocking down the political opponent."
Many displaced workers have also been complaining about the lack of ayuda for them, as the beneficiaries of the ECQ ayuda are based on the listed beneficiaries in the past ECQs.
“There is a big problem that the lists are not updated, because it no longer reflects that more and more people need help. There are workers who were fired who complained that they were not on the list because they said they had jobs during the previous ECQs. The thing is, they need it now because now they have no livelihood."
KMU called on DOLE to devise mechanisms to gather a more accurate number of beneficiaries among workers and conduct a swift and efficient ayuda distribution.
The workers in their statement also demanded a P5,000 immediate, emergency ayuda for the 2-week ECQ as part of the Sandosenang Panawagan para sa Kalusugan, Kabuhayan at Karapatan.
The group added that additional ayuda must be given even before the government mulls extending the lockdown. — Franco Luna
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