Ben Madilynn
A TOTAL of 2,000 minimum wage earners in Mandaue City received P5,000 each as part of the Ayuda Para sa Kapos ang Kita (Akap) program.
The beneficiaries include salespeople, cashiers, baggers, janitors, and security guards.
The beneficiaries applied online, whose applications were assessed to determine eligibility.
Although specific numbers of each category were not provided, the program aimed to cover all minimum wage earners across the city, according to Mandaue City’s Lone District Representative, Emmarie ‘Lolypop’ Quano-Dizon who led the distribution on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.
Initially, the program’s financial assistance was set at P3,000 per beneficiary with a budget of P5 million. However, in celebration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s 67th birthday, the payout amount was increased to P5,000 per person as a gift from the president, said Dizon.
The increase was made possible by the Tingog Partylist, which provided an additional P5 million under their “Handog ng Pangulo, Serbisyong Sapat para sa lahat” initiative.
Each district under Dizon’s office initially had 1,000 beneficiaries, but Mandaue City received an additional 1,000 through extra funding channeled by the Tingog Partylist.
Dizon said this distribution represents only the first batch of the program.
A second batch is planned; however, the date for the next payout has not yet been announced.
Online applications for other legs of the distribution are still open, and each recipient in the next batch will receive P3,000.
Dizon said the Akap program is part of an effort to support minimum wage earners facing financial challenges due to inflation.
Dizon added that by providing this crucial financial assistance, the initiative aims to help these workers manage their daily needs and alleviate some of the economic pressures they face. / CAV
