A MINORITY bloc of lawmakers called on their colleagues in Congress to increase the cash aid to P10,000 per Filipino under the proposed third law relating to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We urge the House leadership to consider raising the cash aid in the Bayanihan III substitute bill to a fixed amount of P10,000 from P1,000 as food and other basic commodities remain expensive while transport and fuel costs are soaring amid rising global oil prices,” Gabriela Women’s Party-list Rep. Arlene D. Brosas, a member of the Makabayan Bloc, said in a statement on Thursday.
House of Representatives members who are part of the technical working group drafting the bill said earlier this week that the planned cash aid is P2,000 per citizen, regardless of social status, to be distributed in two tranches of P1,000 each.
Previous cash aids were given only to the poorest households based on a list from the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The Makabayan Bloc said their proposed higher financial aid can be funded by reallocating the budget of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.
The third Bayanihan law was recently approved by three committees in the House. It’s passage will be the top priority of the House lawmakers once session resumes on May 17. — Gillian M. Cortez