Duterte approves PHP50.8B wage subsidy for middle-income workers

President Duterte has approved a PHP50.8-billion wage subsidy program to help middle-income workers affected by the enhanced community quarantine.

The program will benefit around 3.4 million workers employed by approximately 1.6 million small businesses in Luzon and other areas under ECQ.

Workers will receive P5,000 to P8,000 per month based on regional minimum wage rates, with payments scheduled for May in two tranches.

The subsidy excludes medium and large-scale businesses as well as retrenched workers who have received unemployment benefits.