Bela Padilla to raise ₱1-million for street vendors affected by Metro Manila quarantine

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 16) — Actress Bela Padilla on Sunday launched an online fund-raising campaign, setting the target at P1-million, for street vendors affected by the Metro Manila quarantine.

Padilla set up an account on crowdfunding website GoGetFunding in an effort to extend aid to vendors who may not be able to provide food for their families while the region is under quarantine from March 15 to April 14.

“The best solution I came up with is for us to donate. I set up an account, and whatever money we do raise, let’s split 16 ways for the 16 cities of Metro Manila affected by this community quarantine,” the actress said on her Twitter account. She assured donors that all money they will raise through the initiative will "go to the right people."

In the GoGetFunding page which she named “pagkain para sa pinoy,” Padilla said: During this inevitable pandemic, there will be a lot of Filipinos who won’t be able to rely on their normal sources of income.

“Our favorite taho, dirty ice cream and bananacue vendors won’t be able to secure enough money to guarantee food for their families at the end of the day for one month until our community quarantine is over,” she added.

In light of the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country, President Rodrigo Duterte on March 15 placed Metro Manila under “community quarantine" which restricted travels to and from the region beginning March 15 until April 14. Several cities in Metro Manila also imposed an 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew.

On Monday afternoon, March 16, the chief executive ordered the expansion of the said measure, placing the entire island of Luzon in what authorities call an “enhanced community quarantine.”