BY ARGYLL GEDUCOS
Malacañang said the country cannot afford to extend the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in Metro Manila and four nearby provinces unless Congress will allocate funds to aid those living in the said areas.
Roque made the statement less than a week before the MECQ in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal lapses on August 18.
In an interview with CNN Philippines, Roque echoed President Duterte’s sentiments on Monday that the country has already used up the funds allocated by the Congress for the social amelioration program (SAP).
“The funds intended by Congress for ayuda or social amelioration program for those who are living in areas which are under lockdown because of ECQ or MECQ have been already used by the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development),” he told “The Source” on Monday.
“If Congress, of course, provides for ayuda for Metro Manila and these four provinces, then the situation may change,” he added.
He, however, said that the Palace will first let the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to make the formal recommendation to the President. (Argyll Geducos)
