Solon: AKAP to help more low-wage workers of SMEs

CEBU, Philippines — The government’s Ayuda Sa Kapos Ang Kita Program (AKAP) is set to help a greater number of low-wage workers, especially those employed by micro and small enterprises, in the months ahead, Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo said on Sunday.

“We expect the AKAP’s cash aid to help employees receiving ‘minimal’ wages such as those working for micro service and retail shops as well as small-scale producers,” Rillo, a member of the House committee on appropriations, said in a statement.

Rillo’s remarks came not long after Speaker Martin Romualdez led the distribution of AKAP aid to more than 13,000 beneficiaries, mostly employees of small merchants, at a mall in Quezon City.

“Employees of micro and small establishments in Metro Manila are particularly exposed to economic adversity because they receive lower wages,” Rillo said.

The statutory general minimum wage rate for workers in Metro Manila is currently pegged at P645 per day.

However, there is a separate and lower legal minimum wage rate of P608 per day for workers in service and retail shops with 15 employees or less, and manufacturing activities with less than 10 regular laborers.

Rillo said the AKAP’s cash aid “serves as a vital safeguard against economic hardship” for vulnerable low-income earners severely affected by the rising cost of living.

Administered by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the AKAP has an allocation of P26.7 billion in the 2024 General Appropriations Law.

The program has an allocation of P39.8 billion in the proposed 2025 General Appropriations Law previously approved by the House of Representatives.

“The bigger allocation simply means that the program will benefit more individuals whose families are struggling to make ends meet,” Rillo said.

Based on DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian’s Memorandum Circular 30 series of 2024, eligible AKAP beneficiaries may receive P1,000 to P10,000 in cash aid, depending on the type of assistance. — (FREEMAN)