MANILA, Philippines — A 95-year-old man from Mandaluyong has recovered from the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19.
Doctors, nurses and other health workers cheered as Cresencio Junio was wheeled out of the Mandaluyong City Medical Center (MCMC) yesterday.
Mayor Menchie Abalos lauded Junio for his perseverance in fighting the disease, which has killed 16 people in Mandaluyong.
Jimmy Isidro, city’s public information officer, said Junio lives in Barangay Hulo, which recorded six cases of COVID-19.
Twelve more cases of COVID-19 were recorded in Mandaluyong, bringing to 162 the number of persons infected with the virus.
The barangays with new cases are Mauway with four, Highway Hills with three, Plainview and Poblacion with two each and Malamig with one.
The three barangays with the most number of COVID-19 cases are Highway Hills with 28, Mauway with 22 and Plainview with 21.
The MCMC has limited the admission of patients except those with critical and emergency cases, hospital medical director Zaldy Carpreso said.
Carpreso said doctors, nurses and other hospital personnel are on quarantine due to exposure to the virus.
Cash aid for Pasig families
Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto has vowed to provide supplemental cash assistance for households that will not be covered by the social amelioration program (SAP) of the national government.
Sotto said more than 100,000 families would be given cash aid as the enhanced community quarantine has been extended to April 30.
Based on data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), only 93,000 households from Pasig will receive cash grants under the SAP.
This is less than half of the more than 206,000 families in the city based on a 2015 census, according to Sotto.
“Lahat nang hindi mabibigyan sa listahan ng DSWD, sasaluhin ng Pasig City. Hindi buong halaga na P16,000 pero kung ano ang kaya ay ibibigay natin,” he said.
Sotto said they eyeing to give around P8,000 per household that will not be able to receive subsidy from the national government.
Taguig scholars to get allowance
In Taguig, Mayor Lino Cayetano has ordered the distribution of special emergency assistance to around 25,000 scholars in the city to help their families cope with the enhanced community quarantine.
The scholars will receive P5,000 each starting April 20, Cayetano said.
Personnel of the city’s scholarship office and Barangay Affairs Office will distribute the cash aid.
“This is another proactive measure to expand the assistance we give to the residents,” Cayetano said.
The cash aid, which will benefit up to 125,000 individuals, is separate from other relief programs of the city government such as the livelihood assistance for public transport drivers, stay-at-home food and non-food packs and anti-COVID kits.
The local government has been supporting poor but deserving students since the special emergency assistance to scholars program was launched in 2011 through the efforts of then senator and now Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Rep. Lani Cayetano.
Taguig’s scholarship program has benefitted over 55,000 scholars in more than 200 colleges and universities.
The city government also gave residents free access to mobile app iflix for three months.
After installing the app and creating an account on smartphones, users can watch films and television series for free.
As of Saturday, 138 COVID-19 cases were recorded in Taguig with 10 deaths.
Eleven have recovered from the viral respiratory disease.
Army delivers food packs
In Barangay Bayanan, Muntinlupa, the Philippine Army has delivered around 1,000 food packs to residents affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Army spokesman Col. Raon Zagala said Landers Superstore, Reservist 2nd Lt. Matteo Guidicelli and the 11th Civil Military Operations Battalion of the CMO Regiment led the relief distribution on April 9.
The donation was part of the funds generated by Guidicelli’s online concert “One Voice Pilipinas.”
Zagala said the food packs consist of five kilos of rice and 14 assorted canned goods.
A total of 5,000 households from Muntinlupa, Pasig, Quezon City and Rodriguez in Rizal have benefitted from the program.