(Eagle News)–President Rodrigo Duterte has said local government units would receive an overall P30 billion in financial aid from the national government so they could sustain efforts to address the coronavirus disease 2019 crisis.
The P30.8 billion grant, which was equivalent to each LGU’s Internal Revenue Allotment or share of the national government revenues for month, was set to be released by the Department of Budget and Management, the President’s second weekly report to Congress said.
Earlier, President Duterte said he was “inclined” to extend the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon, which was supposed to last mid-April, to April 30.
Caloocan has expressed fears it would not be able to shoulder the costs to sustain the families who were not included in the national government’s social amelioration program.
According to the President’s report, the P30.8 billion was apart from the LandBank’s Help via Emergency Loan Assistance for LGUs, amounting to P10 billion, LGUs could avail of.
The government has allotted an overall P275 billion to address the COVID-19 crisis but the President has said this “won’t last long.”
He asked Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez to look for other funds to complement the package approved by Congress under the Bayanihan We Heal As One Act.
