MANILA - The Department of Budget and Management said Friday it released an initial P100 billion to fund the state's cash aid program for poor families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It will cover the first of 2 months of social amelioration for 18 million households, as called for under the Philippines' coronavirus response law, Bayanihan to Heal as One, the DBM said in a statement.

The initial funding can be augmented, the agency said. Under the law, monthly cash aid of P5,000 to P8,000 will be given to qualified households.

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