Philippines: COVID-19 aid recipients slightly drop

There has been a slight fall in the number of recipients of the pandemic cash aid in July-September in the Philippines, according to a survey conducted by Social Weather Stations.

In July, 72% of the country's residents received cash aid from the Philippines government since the start of the outbreak, dropping slightly to 71% in September.

The Philippines has implemented cash transfer programs to support the displaced and vulnerable citizens amid the pandemic.

To alleviate the public health crisis, the government enacted a law allocating $4.1 million to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, funding its Social Amelioration Program.

The program grants around $102-$164 monthly cash subsidy to low-income families for two months, depending on the area of residence.

The bulk of the program was ran during the lockdown from March to May on the northern Luzon island of the country, while the second tranche of assistance was provided in August and September.

The survey showed that among those who received cash aid, 67% received subsidies once, while 33% cash aid at least twice.

The majority of cash aid recipients are the residents of the capital Metro Manila (82%), followed by the islands of Visayas (73%), Luzon (70%), and Mindanao (64%).