IN the midst of uncertainty over surviving economic and health impacts of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, there are still people who refuse to take advantage of weaknesses in government’s cash assistance distribution system.
This is proven true by the more than 1,200 individuals from Davao City who, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), returned the emergency subsidy that they received in April from the government’s Social Amelioration Program (SAP) for April, amounting to P7.734 million.
The DSWD, in its website, released a partial list of 1,289 SAP beneficiaries from various Davao City barangays who returned the P6,000 cash aid they got when the first tranche of the SAP assistance was distributed in April.
Those who returned the April payout said they have either received government assistance through the Small Business Wage Subsidy (SBWS) program of the Social Security System, or the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE); they did not meet the eligibility requirements; or were among those included in the SAP list’s double entries.
The DSWD said it has distributed P1.943 billion worth of SAP to 331,450 households — composed of 33,407 Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries and 298,043 low income families – in Davao City.
As of 8 p.m. of May 30, the government has distributed P98.793 billion of the P100 billion SAP allocated for April, or 98.79 percent, which benefited 17,512,629 low income and 4Ps families.
DSWD spokeswoman Irene Dumlao said 1,513 local government units of the 1,634 LGUs have completed the April payout, with 121 still yet to reach a 100 percent completion of the first tranche distribution. About 490 LGUs had submitted their complete liquidation reports and encoded list of beneficiaries.
Dumlao urged the public, especially those that are eligible for the second tranche, to be more patient and understanding as it continues to validate the liquidation reports submitted by the LGUs.
DSWD, in a statement, said it is aware of the needs of low-income Filipino families especially those whose members still cannot work due to the community quarantines, but said the completion of the validation process is a prerequisite it has to comply with before it can start releasing the second tranche.
“For this reason, LGUs are reminded to expedite the completion of the first tranche distribution of SAP and to immediately submit their reports and other documentary requirements to DSWD,” it said.
DSWD said the beneficiaries of the second tranche would include some five million left out from the first tranche and some 12 million low income families who were living in the cities, provinces and regions that were under the enhanced community quarantine starting May 1, and under the ECQ and modified ECQ (MECQ) starting May 16.
