Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso announced on Monday, March 16, the early release of ₱1.76 billion in financial assistance, incentives, and barangay shares, a package that will directly benefit around 330,000 Manileños—or roughly 15 percent of the city’s population—as part of efforts to cushion residents from the impact of rising global oil prices and sustain local economic activity.
The funds, sourced from the city’s General Fund and Trust Fund, will be distributed to households, students, public sector workers, healthcare personnel, and barangays across Manila. Domagoso said the city government decided to advance the release of obligations originally scheduled in the coming weeks so families could use the money right away.
“Starting today, we will release funds to stimulate, augment, and cushion our situation in the City of Manila amounting to about 1.7 billion pesos,” the mayor said. “Ito po ay mga bagay na tutuusin natin sa darating na mga panahon, obligasyon na darating pa sa mga ibang linggo, but this time is the right time to release it early so that kahit papaano, hawak na ng tao, hawak na ng mga barangay.”
Domagoso emphasized that time is crucial in responding to economic uncertainty.
“In a crisis, time is always of the essence. Time is very valuable. Actions, and timely actions, is a very important key element in addressing a crisis situation,” he said.
“If we can raise the buying capacity or purchasing power of our community, then the businesses will benefit from it, the jobs will be protected, and the economy will continue to evolve, what you call the velocity of money effect.”
A large portion of the package will go to the city’s Social Amelioration Program, which will distribute ₱427.8 million in allowances covering January to March 2026 to 287,095 beneficiaries. These include ₱310.1 million for senior citizens, ₱25.6 million for solo parents, ₱75.9 million for adult persons with disabilities, and ₱16 million for minor PWD beneficiaries.
Educational assistance worth ₱51.1 million will be released to 17,043 students enrolled at Universidad de Manila and Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, with ₱27.5 million allocated for UDM students and ₱23.6 million for PLM students.
Financial incentives totaling ₱103.3 million will be provided to 16,425 personnel from national government agencies operating in the city. This includes ₱68 million for public school teachers under the Schools Division Office of Manila, ₱32.1 million for personnel of the Manila Police District, and ₱3 million for members of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.
Additional allocations amounting to ₱12.4 million will be released under variousassistance programs, including ₱9.6 million for senior high school students under the Schools Division of Manila and ₱2.8 million for the Bureau of Fire Protection.
From the Trust Fund, the city government will also distribute ₱1.09 billion in barangay shares, including ₱25.4 million from barangay clearance collections and ₱1.06 billion representing the Real Property Tax share of Manila’s 896 barangays.
Meanwhile, ₱71.3 million in PhilHealth professional fee sharing will be released to 6,495 healthcare workers from city-run hospitals and the Manila Health Department, including personnel from Ospital ng Sampaloc, Sta. Ana Hospital, Jose Abad Santos General Hospital, Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center, Ospital ng Maynila, and Ospital ng Tondo.
Domagoso underscored that the early release of funds is meant to stimulate spending, protect livelihoods, and keep Manila’s economy resilient amid global uncertainty. (Diann Calucin)
