The Department of Budget and Management said on Tuesday it sought President Rodrigo Duterte's approval for the release of P2.7 billion in cash aid to help residents of Laguna and Bataan cope with the COVID-19 lockdown.

The proposed budget will be split into P2 billion for Laguna and P700 million for Bataan. Government savings will fund this cash assistance, said DBM Assistant Secretary Rolly Toledo.

“Sa DBM, nakahanda na po kami. Hinihintay lang po ‘yong approval ng ating Presidente na i-release po natin ‘yong alokasyon para sa Bataan at Laguna,” he said in a televised public briefing.

(At DBM, we are ready. We are just waiting for the approval of our President to release the allocation for Bataan and Laguna.)

“Hopefully, if the approval we'll receive today, mairi-release na po namin ngayong araw na ito o siguro pinaka-latest bukas ng umaga po.”

(Hopefully, if we'll receive the approval today, we can release it today or tomorrow morning at the latest.)

This aid will amount to P1,000 per person. Up to 4 members of a family can receive the government aid, Malacañang said on Monday.

Laguna’s 3.3 million people returned to enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the toughest of 4 lockdown levels, from last Friday, until Aug. 15.

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Bataan meanwhile was placed under ECQ from Aug. 8 to 22.

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Metro Manila, home to some 13 million people, is also under ECQ until Aug. 20. Toledo said the DBM last Friday released P10.89 billion for the capital region's lockdown cash aid.

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