All 110 million Filipinos to get P2,000 ‘ayuda’ under Bayanihan 3

The entire Philippine population will get “ayuda” or cash assistance worth P2,000 under the proposed Bayanihan 3 or Arise as One Act or Bayanihan.

The cash aid would be given to all Filipinos, the rich, the poor, and those in the middle class. It will be distributed in two tranches under the proposed P405.6-billion Bayanihan 3.

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According to Reps. Sharon Garin and Stella Quimbo who were members of the technical working group that drafted the consolidated Bayanihan 3 bill, the fourth cash aid seeks to give equitable distribution of assistance across the socio-economic classes.

“Everyone’s affected by this pandemic – poor Filipinos, rich Filipinos, and especially those in the middle class who were not covered by previous ayuda… So this ayuda will be for everybody,” Garin said on Tuesday night’s episode of “The Chiefs” on Cignal TV’s One News.

Garin added the bill also includes projects to boost existing social services, including financial support for the unemployed and families in areas under strict community quarantines.

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“There were so many complaints on the distribution (of the previous SAP programs), so it’s better to err in over inclusion rather than over exclusion,” the Marikina congresswoman and deputy minority leader stressed.

All 110 million Filipinos to get P2,000 ‘ayuda’ under Bayanihan 3

Meanwhile, Quimbo, principal author of the Bayanihan 3, proposal also allows the rich to waive their P2,000 “ayuda,” comparing the system to a community pantry.

“This will be like the community pantry – you should get what you need. The funds from waived ayuda will be carried over to the other programs in the measure,” she said.

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Garin said the funding for the Bayanihan 3 will come from fiscal measures, particularly an “increase in dividend rate of government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) from 50 percent to 75 percent and borrowing from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) just like in the Bayanihan 1 and 2 laws.”

House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco promised that he will speed up the plenary approval of the proposed 3rd Bayanihan that would help the Philippine economy recover from the COVID-19 crisis.

“As soon as we get back on May 17, we will fast-track the approval of ,” Velasco said in a radio interview.

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