Philippines hands out cash to poor during virus 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.

Six months behind in rent and unable to afford cooking gas, the 77-year-old joined hundreds of others Wednesday at a covered basketball court to receive a thousand peso ($20) government handout.

About 80 percent of the more than 13 million people living in the sprawling national capital region are eligible for the one-off cash payment to ease the economic pain caused by the latest lockdown.

“It’s a big help because if there’s no cash aid I can’t buy (cooking) gas,” said Gomez, who earns 200 pesos on a good day during lockdown.

Restrictions introduced since the start of the pandemic have shattered the Philippine economy, cost millions of jobs and left many families hungry.

A resurgence in infections, partly fuelled by the hyper-contagiousDelta variant that has torn through neighbouring countries, has triggered lockdowns in the capital and other areas.

President Rodrigo Duterte said recently the country could not afford more lockdowns.