President Rodrigo Duterte wants all 23 million low-income families in general community quarantine (GCQ) and enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) areas to receive the second portion of the government’s cash subsidy, said the Malacañang on Friday.

According to Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, the President wants the budget department to look into funds that could be realigned to cover all poor households in the emergency subsidy.

In an interview on dzMM, Roque said that the President said that;

“Ang una niyang sinabi sa akin, sabihan si Secretary Wendel Avisado ng DBM, ang ginamit po niyang salita, ‘tuliin,’ tuliin nang mabuti yung mga budget ng mga line agencies para malaman kung ano yung mga pondo na pupuwede ma-realign at ang gusto talaga ni Presidente, bagamat pinag-aaralan pa, ay mabigyan ng ayuda lahat ng 23 million, whether be it GCQ or ECQ.”

Roque also said that the President asked the Congress to help him look for funds to cover all 23 million families in the social amelioration program’s second tranche for the month of May.

“Pangalawa, pinarating din po niya sa Kongreso, tulungan niyo po ang ating Presidente kung paano niya mabibigyan ng ayuda ang lahat ng 23 million [families],” Roque said.

“Pangatlo, nabanggit pa niya na magsisimula na syang magbenta ng mga propiedad ng gobyerno at meron siyang isang nasabing property, ayaw ko po muna isapubliko pero sabi niya, yun siguro ang sisimulan nating ibenta para maibigay sa ayuda,” he added.

In an earlier public address, Duterte raised the possibility of selling government assets for funding efforts to fight the coronavirus run out.

Earlier, Duterte approved the inclusion of an additional 5 Million families that will benefit from the first tranche of the financial aid program amid the coronavirus disease  2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

This is on top of the 18 million low-income families that will be given a P5,000 to 8,000 financial assistance for two months under a P200-billion budget in the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.

Due to limited funds, the second tranche was limited to the families living in areas under ECQ. 

“Kung itutuloy po yung kagustuhan ni Presidente na lahat ay bigyan ng ayuda, ibig sabihin ang kakailanganin po natin talaga ay P257.7 billion. So clearly, we are P51 billion short kung lahat po sila ay bibigyan ng ayuda,” Roque said.

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