INTERIOR Secretary Eduardo Año on Tuesday pressed local government units (LGUs) throughout the country to hasten the submission of the list of poor families “left-out” from the first tranche distribution of the emergency cash aid under the government’s Special Amelioration Program (SAP).
Año said that so far, only three million of the estimated five million left-out beneficiaries have been submitted to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). The LGUs were given until last Thursday to submit the names of the left-out beneficiaries.
“Sa DILG nasa three million names na ‘yung nakuha namin, five million lahat ito. Sinasabi natin sa mga LGUs, ang dami nilang reklamo na hindi nakasama ‘yung ganito, hindi naman nila nai-submit ‘yung mga pangalan kaagad (The DILG already got three million names out of the total five million. We’re telling the LGUs, they previously had a lot of complaints about beneficiaries who were left out but they couldn’t immediately submit the names,)” said Año.
The government initially allotted assistance, ranging from P5,000 to P8,000, to 18 million poor households. It later increased the number of beneficiaries by five million because the initial figures were based on a 2015 census.
Año implied the deadline had been extended, saying the LGUs, the Department of the Social Welfare (DSWD) and the DILG have to work together to identify the rest of the SAP beneficiaries.
Año said the distribution of the first tranche of SAP assistance is “almost 99” complete.
“Yung iba diyan nagsisimula ng liquidation, patapos na yung iba para mailabas naman ‘yung ating 2nd tranche. (Some have already started their liquidation, some are already nearly complete, so that we can release the second tranche soon),” he said.
The DSWD said P98.443 billion of the P100 billion allocated for the first tranche of the SAP had already been received by 17.449 million low income families and Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino program (4Ps) beneficiaries as of May 25.
The DSWD said P18.162 billion was distributed to 4.198 million 4Ps families while P80.260 billion was distributed by the LGUs to 13.251 million low-income households and non-4Ps members.
DSWD Secretary Rolando Bautista, during the Laging Handa network briefing, said 1,472 LGUs had already completed the SAP distribution, of which 659 had already submitted their liquidation report and list of SAP beneficiaries.
Bautista reiterated his call for the other LGUs to complete the distribution of the SAP and immediately submit their liquidation reports and lists of beneficiaries which are crucial in determining who would receive the second tranche this month.
The government is looking at 12 million low income families living in the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and modified ECQ areas and five million low income households that were wait-listed or left out of the first tranche or April payout.
BAYANIHAN REPORT
President Duterte, in his ninth report to Congress in compliance with the requirements of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, said LGUs have only spent a little over one percent of the P30 billion one-time financial assistance given by the national government to cities and municipalities to boost their capacity to respond to COVID-19.
The President said that as of May 21, the LGUs had spent P397.065 million of the P30.823 billion “Grant to Cities and Municipalities” that was released to them in April.
LGUs are required to submit fund utilization reports to the government through the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) which would be considered in the forward planning to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Funds from the one-time BGMC grant that were not used by the cities and municipalities after the state of national calamity is lifted shall be reverted to the national treasury by recipient cities and municipalities.
Duterte said 19 LGUs composed of 15 municipalities and four cities had already used a part of their share of the grant.
He said based on the liquidation reports submitted by the LGUs, 59.69 percent of the total Bayanihan grants released to provinces, cities and municipalities were spent on food assistance and relief goods, while 21.7 percent went to the procurement of hospital equipment and supplies.
Of the P397.065 million that was spent, P236.954 million went to food assistance and relief goods distributed to households, P86180 million for the procurement of hospital equipment, P19.211 million to the food, transportation and accommodation of medical and other LGU personnel; P15.417 million for the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE), P12.620 million for “other necessary COVID-19 PAPs and expenses,” and P12.544 million for the procurement of vitamins and medicines.
The President also said that P5.1260 million went to the construction, rentals or leasing of spaces or buildings to accommodate COVID-19 patients; P3.188 million to the procurement of disinfectants and sprayers, sprayer tents and other supplies; P2.617 million to the purchase, rentals of tents used as temporary shelters of the homeless; P1.6 million for the purchase of equipment, reagents and kits for COVID-19 testing; and P275,000 for the training of personnel in the conduct of COVOD19 test. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
