The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released P10.894 billion for financial assistance to affected individuals and households in the National Capital Region, which was put on tight lockdown for the next two weeks.

“Affected low-income individuals and families are expected to receive P1,000 per person and a maximum of P4,000 per household, to ensure that food and other non-food requirements are met despite the imposed lockdown,” it underscored in a statement on Friday.

The DBM said it sees that the financial assistance will benefit 10.9 million people in Metro Manila, representing the poorest 80 percent of the population, based on demographic estimations and publicly available information from the Philippine Statistics Authority.

In order to control the highly transmissible Delta strain of coronavirus disease 2019, the government ordered an enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila from August 6 to 20.

According to the Budget department, the total financing requirement was charged from the certified savings from the 2020 Continuing Appropriations pursuant to Administrative Order 41.

The Bureau of the Treasury will promptly deliver the monetary assistance to the impacted local governments through their approved government servicing banks.

Once the funds are received, local governments will facilitate and find the most efficient and effective means to deliver financial assistance to their constituents, the DBM pointed out.

The distribution of the aid will be overseen by the Departments of Interior and Local Government, as well as the of Social Welfare and Development.

To guarantee effective use of the funds, beneficiary local governments must follow the posting and reporting procedures outlined in DBM Local Budget Circular 138, which may be viewed on its website.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd has said that the government is capable of covering the complete cost of monetary assistance for ECQ-affected residents. The money will come from dividends paid to the Treasury by government-owned and controlled corporations.

He said that the government does not need to realign its budget to support the lockdown subsidies, notably for infrastructure projects.

BY MEYNARD DELA CERNA