SHOW-cause orders will be issued against officials of the hundreds of local government units (LGUs) which failed to finish the distribution of the April tranche of the government’s cash assistance to poor households, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said on Monday.
“The show-cause order that will be issued to the LGUs is not only their accountability to the DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government), but most importantly to their constituents,” Año said referring to the 369 units which did not meet the Sunday deadline.
DILG figures show that only 1,265 out of the 1,634 local government units throughout the country were able to complete the distribution of the first tranche of the government subsidy.
“Kailangan nilang ipaliwanag kung ano-ano ang mga problema’t balakid kung bakit hindi sila umabot sa deadline (They have to explain the problems, the hindrances why they failed to meet the deadline),” said Año.
While commending the LGUs that completed the distribution, Año said the job of assisting the poor families is not yet finish as local leaders still need to distribute the second tranche of the SAP subsidy
“Your work, however, is not yet done. We still have the second tranche but I am certain that you will be more systematic, quicker, and more efficient this time because of the lessons that you have learned from the first,” he said.
DILG undersecretary and spokesman Jonathan Malaya said the completion rate in Metro Manila was only 85.13 percent, with Caloocan City having the highest payout rate in the metropolis at 99 percent.
Despite the lapse of the deadline, Malaya said LGUs can still continue the payout of the first wave of SAP assistance until these are recalled by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
“Ang abiso ni Secretary Eduardo Año sa kanila ay hangga’t hindi binabawi ng DSWD ‘yung pondong hawak niyo, tuloy-tuloy lang po kailangan ang inyong pamimigay… dahil nga po itong pondo pong ito ay para sa ating mga kababayan na nangangailangan sa panahon na ito (They were advised by Secretary Eduardo Año that until the DSWD recalls the funds, you should continue with the distribution… because these funds are needed by our countrymen during this time),” he said, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Malaya said the LGUs which completed the distribution should now focus on liquidating the funds. They have 14 days to liquidate the funds, after which the DSWD will need time to validate this. The May tranche can only be downloaded and released once all necessary paper works have been completed by the LGUs.
DSWD UPDATE
Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista said the national government trusts that the LGUs will be able to do their job of completing the SAP payout for May and submit their liquidation reports immediately.
“Kailangang bilisan ang pagkumpleto ng pagbibigay ng ayuda sa lahat ng mga apektado nationwide dahil ito magiging batayan ng pagbigay ng second phase ng SAP implementation (We need to speed up the completion of the distribution of the aid to all those affected nationwide because this will become the basis for the distribution of the second phase of the SAP implementation),” Bautista said during the Laging Handa network briefing.
Bautista said that as of 8 p.m. of May 10, 968 of 1,634 LGUs nationwide have reached “100 percent completion” of the SAP distribution for April while 131 local governments have submitted liquidation reports. The figures do not match those of the DILG.
Bautista said that P89.3 billion of the P100-billion allocation for April has been distributed, and benefited 15.87 million of the 18 million targeted low-income families and Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries under SAP.
Apart from the SAP, DSWD has distributed P1.8 billion to some 640,978 indigent senior citizens, which is equivalent to P3,000 or their social pension for the first six months of the year; P192.9 million for 44,838 clients under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation Program; and P291.8 million for 737,000 family food packs nationwide.
Bautista said the delay in the distribution of the April payout was mainly due to the location of the SAP beneficiaries as some live in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) “high-risk” areas or places where there is a high number of positive COVID-19 cases, and places that are under security concerns like those in Mindanao, or those where cash and relief aid are being taken by rebels or other armed groups.
He said another factor that affected the delay or completion of the payout was the lack of commitment of local government officials to the distribution program. He did not elaborate.
MAKATI CASH AID
The Makati City government will distribute P5,000 cash aid under its expanded Makati Economic Relief Program to ll of its registered residents.
Via Facebook Live, Mayor Abby Binay said the financial assistance will be for residents of Makati who are financially struggling due to the negative economic impact of the enhanced community quarantine imposed in Metro Manila.
She said the city government will start the distribution of the cash aid via electronic money transfer on May 15 under the “MAKA-tulong 5K for 500K+ Makatizens” program, which will benefit around 500,000 residents, regardless of economic status.
“The MAKA-tulong 5K for 500K+ Makatizens program, which will cost P2.7 billion, is intended to provide much-needed financial assistance to residents on an individual basis, not per household, as we begin to emerge from the prolonged lockdown,” she added.
Binay said senior citizens, persons with disability, informal workers, and solo parents who have been receiving cash aid from the city, including SAP beneficiaries, are still qualified to receive the P5,000 financial assistance.
She said to qualify as a beneficiary of MAKA-tulong program, one must be at least 18 years old and a resident of Makati, including families who were relocated to San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan and Calauan, Laguna.
She also said one must be registered either as a Makatizen Card holder, or as a Yellow Card holder under the Makati Health Program, or as a voter in Makati City.
“If a resident does not fall into any of those three categories, he or she is not eligible as a beneficiary,” she said.
OWWA
With nearly 50,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) expected to return home in the next two months, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) asked Congress for an additional P2.5 billion budget to finance their assistance program.
In a virtual press conference, OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac disclosed that they are hoping to be provided with the necessary allocation as they need to provide continuous assistance to those already in the country as well as those still set to return home.
“We have already asked Congress for an additional P2.5 billion to augment our funds. We are praying really hard that it will be granted,” said Cacdac.
He said the additional funds will allow them to provide temporary shelter, food provision, and transportation assistance to returning OFWs.
All returning OFWs are required to undergo 14-day mandatory quarantine and get tested for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) before being allowed to return home.
“Our projection is some 25,000 sea-based and 20,000 land-based OFWs will be returning home between May to June,” said Cacdac.
So far, the OWWA chief said they have already spent a total of P381,273,938 in assisting the 26,737 OFWs that have returned home.
The assistance includes P311,741,570 for the hotel accommodation of 9,962 OFWs; P59,795,225 for the provision of food to 6,072 OFWs; and P9,737,143 for the transportation assistance of 9,700 OFWs.
“We are spending about P15,000 per OFW,” said Cacdac.
Of their expenses so far, about P180 million came from national budget allocation, while about P200 million was sourced from the OWWA fund. — With Jocelyn Montemayor, Noel Talacay and Gerard Naval
