Free food pantries sprout in Philippines as aid are delayed

A woman receives free food at a makeshift stall called "Community Pantry" at Maginhawa street in Quezon city, Philippines on Monday, April 19, 2021. Donated food and other essential items from residents or volunteers are placed on makeshift stalls for people who need it as many have lost jobs due to quarantine measures set by the government to curb the surge in Covid-19 cases in the country. The "Community Pantry" has spread to several areas around the metropolitan with the theme "Give what you can, take what you need" to support people struggling to make ends meet. - AP

MANILA, Apr 20 (Bloomberg): Dozens of makeshift stalls for food donations have sprouted across the Philippines, as the government said aid for the poor had been delayed weeks after another lockdown.

Only 4 billion pesos (US$83 million) of the 23 billion-peso budget for aid have been handed out as distribution was hampered by measures to curb spread of the virus, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said at a virtual briefing Monday.