IATF: Social amelioration aid not for 4Ps, formal sector workers

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) clarified that beneficiaries of the 4Ps program, senior citizens receiving pension, non-indigents, and formal sector workers are not included in the government's Social Amelioration Program.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles stated during a briefing that the program will provide cash assistance to 18 million low-income families affected by work stoppages due to the enhanced community quarantine.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has started distributing P5,000 to P8,000 per family in some areas of NCR and other regions, with initial distributions made to tricycle operators and drivers in Pasay City.

DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao clarified that only low-income families from the informal sector are eligible for the emergency cash subsidy under the Social Amelioration Program.

The DSWD began releasing its P200-billion emergency fund on April 3, covering several regions including Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, CALABARZON, NCR, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Household beneficiaries under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program will receive an emergency subsidy of P3,650 to P6,650 per month for two months, depending on regional minimum wage levels.