THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said barangay peace and order officers, or barangay “tanods” or watchmen, are now eligible for the government’s Social Amelioration Program (SAP) for low-income families.
DSWD undersecretary Camilo Gudmalin noted barangay tanods do not receive regular salaries and sometimes only get honorarium in exchange for their service.
Barangay tanods have also been rendering service under the current lockdown, manning checkpoints and ensuring that residents stay in their homes.
Gudmalin said the decision to include the tanods in the SAP program was decided in consultation with the Department of Interior and Local Government.
He clarified that barangay health workers are not eligible for the SAP because they are already receiving salaries as guaranteed by the Magna Carta for Health Workers.
Some 18 million low-income households and those in the informal sector are eligible to avail of the SAP which provides a monthly cash subsidy of P5,000 to P8,000 for two months.
Gudmalin and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said P65 billion has been released to 1,228 local government units to cover various assistance programs of government.
The two officials, in separate briefings, said the DSWD has also released some P67.5 million for COVID-19 related concerns and assistance, such as medical and burial assistance; distributed P156.11 million worth of food packs for 400,201 families; and P1.5 billion for cash subsidies to 282,964 low-income families who are not covered by the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
