In Parañaque City, It's Ayuda Through ATMs

PHOTO BY Facebook/Paranaque Public Information Office ILLUSTRATION Shutterstock

(SPOT.ph) With the staggering number of jobs lost since the pandemic started in 2020, many Filipinos have been counting on cash assistance and rations given by their local government. People line up at basketball courts of barangay halls, risking getting exposed to the virus or the heat of the sun, to get much-needed relief to get through the month. In Parañaque, people can get their ayuda via an EON VISA card and withdraw their cash at any ATM (or even use it as a payment option when grocery-shopping). The local government tapped Union Bank of the Philippines for the Paraña-cash COVID-19 Assistance Program in July 2020, and the cards are still being utilized now that there's another tranche of ayuda.

In 2020, the initial batch of the program's beneficiaries were families that did not receive any form of cash assistance from the national government under the Social Amelioration Program, expanded 4Ps, and COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program of the Department of Labor and Employment. A total of 50,000 qualified households received P5,000 cash assistance through the Paraña-cash EON card, which head of the families picked up at distribution points nearest them. Funds for the Paraña-cash program in 2020 were a reallocation of the P200 million budget originally earmarked for the construction of a 3,000-seater sports astrodome.

PHOTO Courtesy of Susan De La Cruz

Following the national government's distribution of cash assistance to 4P residents affected by the return of the Enhanced Community Quarantine in the NCR Plus area, more EON VISA cards were rolled out to acommodate all Parañaqueños in April. Parañaque City's Facebook pages (Mayor Edwin Olivarez and Parañaque City - Public Information Office) are also regularly updated to list down beneficiaries per barangay as well as information on when the aid becomes available.

For updates on Parañaque's Paraña-cash program, follow Parañaque City - Public Information Office on Facebook.

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Source: Spot PH