PRC giving P42 million aid to COVID-19 hit families

CEBU, Philippines —  The Philippine Red Cross is giving out P42 million in cash aid to families affected by COVID-19 in the Visayas.

The multi-purpose cash grant (MPCG) aims to aid 8,820 vulnerable families in Cebu, Lapu-Lapu-Cordova, Western Samar and Leyte.

PRC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Senator Richard Gordon, led yesterday’s first run in Barangay Luz, Cebu City with 150 vulnerable families received the assistance.

“PRC with its partner national societies had always aim not only to help, but to lead people how to confidently begin again after every disaster,” Gordon said.

Gordon was accompanied by PRC Board of Governors member Jose Emery “Joey” Roble, a former Hilongos, Leyte mayor; representatives of American Red Cross and other chapters.

The American Red Cross is the donor of this Food and Cash-based Humanitarian Assistance Program in partnership with PRC.

The first component of the program is the socially vulnerable families with confirmed COVID-19 positive case wherein the PRC gives food packs and P3,500 cash grant targeting 2,345 families.

The second component is the socially vulnerable families with no confirmed COVID-19 positive case, no means of livelihood and physically not able to work aggravated by enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) wherein the PRC gives a MPCG amounting to P3,500.00 prioritizing 3,000 families in 15 barangays in Cebu Province and 500 families in four barangays in Lapu-Lapu City and Cordova.

The third component is the socially vulnerable families affected by no work no pay scheme and physically able to work wherein PRC extends conditional cash grant in the total of P3,500 or P500 per day for seven days.

This is also called Cash-For-Work targeting 500 families. The target areas are the Cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu.

For Cebu City, the barangays Capitol Site and Mambaling are considered pilot areas for PRC in the implementation of the food and cash-based humanitarian assistance for families affected by ECQ.

“Syempre binibigay ito sa mga tao talagang vulnerable tawag namin dun, nangangailangan ng tulong, nakita ko maraming senior citizens, head ng family, yung iba may kapansanan, ito kapiraso lang to madami silang mabibigyan,” Gordon told reporters.

Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head, Ramil Ayuman, thanked the PRC for choosing Barangay Luz for its program, saying that it had a high number of infections in May, particularly in Sitio Zapatera.  (FREEMAN)