Over 2 million food packs distributed in Quezon City

MANILA, Philippines — More than two million food packs have been distributed by the Quezon City government since the enhanced community quarantine was implemented last month.

Qualified residents should have received two to three food packs, Mayor Joy Belmonte said yesterday.

She urged those needing assistance to communicate with their barangay officials.

“The local government spent around P1.1 billion to provide food packs for the residents and another P700 million for those not included in the barangays’ original list of indigent constituents,” Belmonte said. “This includes the middle class as well as renters, boarders and people stranded in the city during the lockdown.”

She said 500,000 indigent families have received the first wave of food assistance from the city government.

The relief distribution was expanded to 950,000 to cover more members of the informal sector.

Some households from the middle income sector also received assistance.

“It has been a challenge, but because of the help of our employees, volunteers, barangay officials as well as jeepney and tricycle drivers, we were able to deliver these basic needs to the residents,” Belmonte said.

Last week, the local government approved a supplemental budget of P2.8 billion for the city’s response against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Belmonte said around P2.4 billion would be spent for additional food and provision of cash aid to families not included in the list of beneficiaries of the national government’s social amelioration program.

Quezon City also allocated P753 million to provide wages and hazard pay to contractual employees who are identified as essential workers.

There were 1,067 cases of COVID-19 in the city with 103 recoveries and 98 deaths.