Philippines hands out cash to poor people during COVID-19 lockdown
Philippine tricycle driver Jesus Gomez struggled to make a living even before the capital Manila went back into a coronavirus lockdown last week that forced most of his customers to stay home and halved his meagre income.
People waiting in line to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in Manila, the Philippines. (Photo: AFP/VNA)
Manila (VNA) - Philippine tricycle driver Jesus Gomezstruggled to make a living even before the capital Manila went back into acoronavirus lockdown last week that forced most of his customers to stay homeand halved his meagre income.
Six months behind in rent and unable to afford cooking gas,the 77-year-old joined hundreds of others on August 11 at a covered basketballcourt to receive a thousand peso (20 USD) government handout, AFP reported.
About 80 percent of the more than 13 million people living in themetropolitan Manila area are eligible for the cash aid, in a government effortto ease economic hardships caused by the latest lockdown.
For Gomez, who normally only earns up to 200 pesos duringthe lockdown, the aid is a big help. He said that during lockdown, thetricycle drivers can only operates on Mondays. Burdened with a debt of 20,000pesos in rent and at risk of being evicted from the small apartment, Gomezrecently turned to selling air conditioners for extra income. If necessary, hewould sell his tricycle to pay for the debt as it is the "lastresort".
Restrictions introduced since the start of the pandemic have shatteredthe Philippine economy, cost millions of jobs and left many families hungry.
A resurgence in infections, partly fueled by thehyper-contagious Delta variant that has torn through neighbouring countries, hastriggered lockdowns in the capital and other areas.
With only about 10 percent of the population having administrated twodoses of COVID-19 vaccines and hospitals being overwhelmed, Philippine officialscurrently have few options to curb spread of the disease other thanimposing a lockdown.
However, stricter regulations, including a night-timecurfew as well as a ban on eating in restaurants and exercising outdoors, isestimated to cost the Southeast Asian economy around 3 billion USD per week./.
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People waiting in line to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in Manila, the Philippines. (Photo: AFP/VNA) 
