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Almost P500 billion for ayuda in 2024 budget: Romualdez

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RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- House Speaker Martin Romualdez said about 9 percent or almost P500 billion of the P5.768 trillion 2024 national budget that will soon be signed into law will be allotted as &quot;ayuda&quot; or aid for about 48 million Filipinos in poor and low income families.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/18/23/marcos-to-sign-p576-trillion-natl-budget-wednesday">Marcos to sign P5.76-trillion nat&#x27;l budget Wednesday: Romualdez</a></li></ul>“We are hoping that in some way, we are able to support people who badly need government help to get them through hard times,” Romualdez said as he thanked House Appropriations Committee chairman Rep. Zaldy Co, Senate Finance Committee Chair Sen. Sonny Angara, and his colleagues for working on the budget.Romualdez said one of the programs for which the P500 billion is alloted is AKAP or Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita, which is a a one-time cash assistance of P5,000.“It’s a P60-billion fund, whose aim is to provide direct cash assistance to the ‘near poor’ or families earning up to P23,000 a month. At least 12 million households will benefit from it, including low-income workers like those in construction and factories, drivers, food service crew, and the like,” he said.“If the program is successful, we can continue implementing it next year,” he said.The House chief also noted existing government programs targeting the poorest of the poor, like Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) under the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and Tulong Pang-hanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) under the Department of Labor and Employment.Some P23 billion has been appropriated for AICS and P30 billion for TUPAD, Romualdez said.Romualdez stressed that Congress continues to provide funding for President Marcos’s “legacy projects” -- Legacy Food Security, Legacy Specialty Hospitals, and Legacy Housing for the poor.“For Legacy Food Security, we allocated P5 billion to support our farmers with free irrigation, seeds, fertilizer, and other farm inputs. Another P5 billion is appropriated for the buying of their produce at market prices,” the speaker said.“By providing much-needed capital and buying their harvest, we will not only create jobs and assure the income of our farmers – we can ensure supply of affordable and high quality local rice,” he added.Romualdez reported that construction of new or expansion of existing hospitals has already started.“We hope to finish them within three years. For 2024, we have appropriated P1 billion for UP-Philippine General Hospital, P1.5 billion for the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, P1 billion for the Philippine Cancer Center, P1 billion for Philippine Children’s Medical Center, P1 billion for Bicol Regional Medical Center, and P500 million for Batangas Regional Medical Center,” he said.Romualdez also touted the government&#x27;s housing subsidy.“Since monthly amortization is only P2,500 to P3,500, government housing will be much more affordable than the projects of private developers, which cost about P15,000 a month in amortization,” he said.Romualdez said the House and the Senate likewise set aside P1.5 billion for the development and expansion of the airport in Pag-asa Island to show the Marcos administration’s determination to assert the country’s sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea.Meanwhile, an additional P800 million is allocated for the construction of a shelter port for fishermen and boats in Lawak, Palawan, the island closest to Ayungin Shoal.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/18/23/2024-budget-has-funds-for-defense-of-west-ph-sea-romualdez">2024 budget has funds for defense of West PH Sea: Romualdez</a></li></ul>“We in Congress are one with the President in protecting the West Philippine Sea and in calling out China for its aggressive activities there, and its harassment of our Coast Guard, soldiers, fishermen, and civilian vessels,&quot; Romualdez said.&quot;We urge China to accept the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which invalidated Beijing’s expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea,” he added.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/18/23/marcos-says-ovp-deped-confidential-funds-a-settled-issue">Marcos says OVP, DepEd confidential funds &#x27;a settled issue&#x27;</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/18/23/marcos-to-sign-p576-trillion-natl-budget-wednesday">Marcos to sign P5.76-trillion nat&#x27;l budget Wednesday: Romualdez</a></li></ul><div>RELATED STORY:</div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2898526" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

House Speaker Martin Romualdez said about 9 percent of the 2024 national budget will be allotted as 'ayuda' for poor Filipinos.

Almost P500 billion for ayuda in 2024 budget: Romualdez

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Almost P500 billion for ayuda in 2024 budget: Romualdez

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published Dec 19, 2023 04:27 PM PHT

Read More:

ayuda

2024 national budget

aid

TUPAD

AICS

AKAP

Speaker Martin Romualdez

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