Rep. Salceda proposes 'Pantawid Family Quarantine' for Luzon

Albay Rep. Joey Salceda has proposed a "Pantawid Family Quarantine" program to provide financial assistance to Luzon residents affected by the enhanced community quarantine.

Salceda stated that the poorest 20 percent of the population would struggle to survive the quarantine without government aid.

He suggested reconfiguring the existing Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to offer a 13th-month grant worth PHP6 billion to 2.54 million beneficiary families in Luzon.

Additionally, he proposed distributing a full-year advance of PHP3,600 per family from the Universal Cash Transfer (UCT) under the TRAIN Law to 6.2 million households, primarily informal families.

These existing programs are funded in the 2020 General Appropriations Act (GAA) and are already well-targeted to the poorest segments of the population.

Salceda believes these combined measures would benefit eight million families and provide immediate relief, although he continues to advocate for supplemental appropriations.