MANILA - Nearly 81 percent of local governments in the NCR Plus bubble have finished the distribution of government's cash aid ahead of its deadline, the Department of the Interior and Local Government said Sunday.

Eighteen local governments or 80.95 percent have distributed some P18.6 billion to beneficiaries, according to the agency. Indigent families are qualified to receive up to P4,000 as aid following the strict lockdown imposed in late March.

• DILG: 3 in 4 beneficiaries have received lockdown 'ayuda'

Among these were 13 cities and towns in Laguna, Guiguinto and Pandi towns in Bulacan; Tagaytay City, and Amadeo and Naic towns in Cavite.

Laguna has a 93.84 percent completion rate, followed by Metro Manila with 81.92 percent, Bulacan with 80.52 percent, Rizal with 74.41 percent, and Cavite with 72.99 percent, according to the DILG.

"Some of the reasons that LGUs have not yet completed their ayuda distribution are the huge number of beneficiaries, the big number of appeals that are undergoing deliberation, the tedious and lengthy process of partnering with banks and remittance centers for ayuda payout for those doing electronic distribution, and the difficulty of mobilizing personnel in this time of pandemic," DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said.

"Despite these challenges, however, we are confident na matatapos rin nila ang pagbibigay ayuda sa takdang oras (that we will finish the distribution of aid in time)."

Several lawmakers earlier called for a third stimulus measure to give 108 million Filipinos P2,000 each, regardless of social class or age, to help them deal with the COVID-19 crisis.

• Lawmakers seek P2,000 ‘sana all ayuda’ for each Filipino in P405-B Bayanihan 3

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