As of May 14, over 2.6 million small business employees have received the first batch of cash grants, according to the president’s eighth weekly report to Congress on May 18. The cash grants (a total of P20.4 billion) were issued through the Social Security System (SSS) and given to beneficiaries of the Small Business Wage Subsidy Program (SBWS). The program aims to assist small business employees and low-income families amid the pandemic with workers receiving a monthly subsidy of P5,000 to P8,000 for two months.

Beneficiaries of the COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program who are also eligible for the SBWS program will receive a deduction of P5,000 if they have already received financial assistance from the former. To monitor if there is any duplication of beneficiaries between the two programs, the Department of Finance, together with SSS, is cross-checking the list with the Department of Labor and Employment.  

The first payout was successfully completed on May 14 while the second will be distributed from May 15 to May 31. The government has allocated about P50.8 billion for the SBWS program to aid 3.4 million small business employees.

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