MANILA- Pensioners are excluded from the government's 2-month emergency subsidy program, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Monday as he clarified the target beneficiaries of the aid meant to help poor Filipinos recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

Nograles said while the elderly or senior citizens are among the target beneficiaries of the program, they should come from low-income families.

"Pensioners are not included in the low-income families. So, the first critieria is low-income families and among the low-income families, priority is senior citizens," he said in a virtual press briefing.

"Tandaan, dapat kabilang kayo sa low-income families," he added.

The government, through the Department of Social Welfare and Development, started distributing last week cash aid to poor Filipino families as part of its social amelioration program.

The subsidies, ranging from P5,000 to P8,000, aim to benefit 18 million poor Filipino families, including beneficiaries of the government's Pantawid ng Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

• 18 million families to receive cash aid on top of food packs, DSWD says

Guidelines released by the DSWD on the social amelioration program state that families entitled to the cash grant will be approached by representatives of their respective local government units.

Aside from the elderly from low-income families, beneficiaries also include homeless Filipinos, "no work, no pay" workers, farmers and fishermen, and drivers of public utility vehicles.

• Paano makakuha ng ayuda mula sa gobyerno sa gitna ng krisis dulot ng COVID-19?