THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has already served 96.38 percent or 13.59 million of the targeted 14.1 million low income families in the second tranche of the emergency cash assistance under the Social Amelioration Program (SAP).
Social Welfare Undersecretary Glen Paje said a total of P81.4 billion had already been distributed to the SAP beneficiaries, which included more than 1.3 million Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries, close to 6 million non-4Ps poor families, 4.9 million waitlisted families, and more than 183,000 drivers of transport network vehicles service (TNVS) and public utility vehicles (PUVs).
Paje, in an interview with radio DzBB on Sunday afternoon, said the DSWD is striving to complete the distribution of the SAP soon, noting that distribution for the remaining beneficiaries located in isolated or geographically-challenged areas remains a difficult task.
Asked about the possible implementation of a third tranche of SAP, Paje said the DSWD will comply with what the laws will state.
He said that apart from SAP, the DSWD has other programs such as the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) which is extended for the medical and burial needs of those affected by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said 100,000 more overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) displaced by the outbreak are expected to benefit from the replenished funds for the department’s cash assistance programs.
The funds for the DOLE’s Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong (AKAP) for OFWs has been allocated with an additional P1 billion.
“With P1 billion augmentation fund, DOLE is looking at extending assistance to additional 100,000 OFWs who will benefit from AKAP,” said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III.
The additional P1 billion comes from the recent release of the P5 billion budget for the repatriation and assistance to returning OFWs displaced by the pandemic.
To note, AKAP program is a one-time $200 or P10,000 assistance provided by DOLE to migrant workers affected by the pandemic, either still on-site or those already repatriated.
Its initial funding of P2.5 billion was meant to benefit only a total of 250,000 OFWs. — With Gerard Naval
