Philippines approves 50bil peso pay subsidy for middle-income workers

As the Philippine government allots billions of pesos in aid for the poorest families and low-income workers reeling from the Luzon lockdown, some local governments with enough resources are finding ways to fill the gaps. In Pasig City, parents of public school students on April 14 received 400 pesos worth of food coupons, which they can use at selected public markets. - PI/ANN

MANILA (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN): President Rodrigo Duterte approved a 50.8bil peso wage subsidy programme for workers at micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) on Monday (April 13) after he expressed reservations about a Senate proposal to include more than 5 million families in the government’s social amelioration programme.

The cash aid will benefit some 1.6 million small businesses in the formal sector and their combined 3.4 million employees whose livelihoods have been disrupted by the Luzon lockdown.