Local governments in Metro Manila will start the distribution of cash aid on Wednesday, August 11, to the population affected by the imposition of lockdown aimed at curbing the increasing number of COVID-19 cases due to the more transmissible Delta variant, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said on Monday.

In his report to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, Año said Metro Manila LGUs, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Department of National Defense (DND) are working for the issuance of the Joint Memorandum Circular No. 3.

Under DILG’s Joint Memorandum Circular No.3 series of 2021, P10.98 billion will be used to subsidize over 10 million low-income Filipinos in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Año said the recipients will be the low-income individuals and families identified by the LGUs. Long-term or temporary NCR residents affected by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) are entitled to receive the cash aid.

The interior chief said they are working on a P278-million supplemental budget to ensure that all qualified Metro Manila residents get the government support.

“At sisiguraduhin po na magiging maayos ang distribution sa tulong ng Philippine National Police at Armed Forces of the Philippines. Magbibigay po ako ng ulat kada linggo kapag nagsimula na po ang ating pagbibigay ng ayuda,” he said.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, Año said the DILG will strictly enforce government guidelines on the movement of people within the ECQ area.

The DILG has released an advisory to the LGUs for aggressive testing, contact tracing and isolation of infected individuals to contain the spread of the virus. PND