By Eunice Samonte
Senators are asking for clarity on the relief system of the government during this enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) period once again. For them, last year’s problems must not be the same this year.
Senator Panfilo Lacson pointed out that the Senate did its part in the allocation of
budget for the most affected families and it is now up to government to do the
implementation. He emphasized the need to have an updated list of beneficiaries
from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
“When we passed Bayanihan 1 to appropriate funds for the SAP (Social Amelioration
Program), the reference used by DSWD was their 2015 data which is outdated.
Expectedly, the implementation was marred by confusion and complaints. Those
who were jobless in 2015 may have been gainfully employed in 2020 and vice versa.”
“With the scarce resources available, I hope adjustments have already been made to make the ayuda (aid) really responsive to the needs of our people,” Sen. Lacson stressed in a statement to the media.
For Senate Labor Committee Chairman Senator Joel Villanueva, this is another case of providing for the most vulnerable sectors including the workers who lost their jobs.
“Mahahalintulad po sa palarong “Pera o Bayong” ang usapin sa pamamahagi ng ayuda sa
mga apektadong pamilya sa ECQ areas. At gaya ng sentimyento ng ating mga kababayan, mas pipiliin natin na cash ang ayuda, kaya ang hinihikayat po natin ang mga LGU na ipamahagi ito ng cash. Hangga’t maaari rin, ipadala po ito online dahil mas ligtas at mas mabilis ito (This could be compared to the game show ‘Pera o Bayong’ [Money or Bag] when it comes to the matter of distributing aid to affected families in ECQ areas. And just like the sentiments of our countrymen, they would rather choose the assistance be in cash so we are convincing our LGUs to distribute it in cash. As much as possible, this should be sent online because it safer and faster),” Villanueva urged.
The legislator endorsed an installment basis of cash assistance to immediately help people in their daily living under ECQ.
“Dapat may second, third waves din ang ayuda. Ituring ng gobyerno na initial downpayment muna po ang ₱1,000 per person. Ang kagandahan ng “two gives” o “three gives” ay madaling mahabol kung sino mang nakaligtaaan o nakalimutan sa unang pasada. Hindi lang po ito dagdag na ayuda, remedyo rin po sa hindi nabigyan (There should be second, third waves for the aid. The government should consider as initial down payment the ₱1,000 per person. The beauty about “two gives” or “three gives” is that it would be easy for those who were left behind or forgotten in the first tranche to catch up),” Sen. Villanueva added.
Senator Imee Marcos was emphatic on the imposition of ECQ and noted that it is nothing if the protocols are not being implemented well.
“₱1,000 is really inadequate – even without pork or chicken. So enough of this blanket ECQ in the NCR Plus. Infection rates have not gone down. Rather, the rates of infection and joblessness are going up,” Sen. Imee Marcos insisted
She also gave suggestions on how to handle the situation even without ECQ
“Only MECQ (modified enhanced community quarantine) should be in place and targeted. Localized lockdowns should be left to the LGUs. After a year of opening and closing, we still don’t get it. ECQ is useless suffering without:
1) Complete medical protocols – testing, contact tracing, vaccination
2) Social protection for all in need
Without those two, we can only handle MECQ, giving local chief executives the power and
judgment to declare localized lockdowns. Hunger will only result from an ECQ if no social protection as food, cash aid, etc. is provided,” the lady senator observed.
