SENATE President Vicente Sotto III on Wednesday questioned the slow distribution of the government’s cash assistance to low-income and vulnerable families as he pushed local government units (LGUs) to fast track the delivery of the subsidy to qualified beneficiaries amid reports that only a small percentage of the 18 million recipients have received the government assistance.
In an interview over dzMM, Sotto cited President Duterte’s weekly Bayanihan Act report to Congress indicating that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has downloaded close to P100 billion cash to LGUs, but the number of recipients who got their P5,000 to P8,000 cash aid was placed at only around 4 million, or 22 percent of the targeted 18 million families. The report was submitted on Monday, April 20.
DSWD Undersecretary Glen Paje, during the Laging Handa public briefing on Wednesday, said the agency had already distributed P76 billion worth of aid to 1,369 LGUs, including the P24.5 billion worth of SAP funds that have been distributed to 5.3 million beneficiaries as of April 21.
Aside from the Bayanihan report, Sotto said his office’s provincial coordinators have also informed him that in Cebu, the DSWD has already downloaded cash for the Social Amelioration Program but the financial aids have not been distributed to the beneficiaries.
“Kakalampagin pa namin ang DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) dito at kailangan siguro pati ‘yung committee on local government sa Senado ay medyo mas kumilos pa. Kailangang aksyunan nila ito (We will call the attention of the DILG regarding this matter, and I also call on the Senate committee on local government to act on this),” Sotto said.
The Senate chief said he will include his observation in the Senate’s oversight report which they will send to the President on Thursday.
Under the Bayanihan We Heal as One Act, Congress authorized the President to realign P200 billion for distribution to be used as financial subsidy for more than 18 million low-income families and members of the vulnerable sector hit badly by the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine which was imposed as a preventive strategy against the continued spread of the infectious novel coronavirus.
The P200 billion cash was to be given in two tranches to deserving families, one for April and another for May should the ECQ be extended.
Duterte initially declared a month-long ECQ from March 17 to April 14 but extend it until April 30 to give the government more time to conduct mass testing of suspected COVID-19 patients. The President is expected to make an announcement on Thursday whether or not he is extending the lockdown for a second time, or if it will be fully or partially lifted.
NON-TRANSFERABLE
Communications Secretary Martin Andanar reminded local government officials and beneficiaries of the SAP that they cannot, on their own, give away or transfer excess emergency subsidy downloaded to them without authority from the DILG and the DSWD.
Andanar made the statement during the Laging Handa network briefing as a reaction to the statement of Northern Samar Gov. Edwin Ongchuan that at least two of the 24 towns in his province have received excess SAP forms and funds.
Onchuan said some of his municipal mayors have asked him to divert the excess funds from the Allen and Buri towns to their jurisdictions, saying that they need more cash assistance to cover more families. The governor did not such how much was the extra funds, except that he has been advised against transferring them to other towns.
Andanar quoted DSWD Secretary Rolando Bautista as saying that the excess funds and forms should be return to the national government.
Bautista had already warned that if the funds were not returned, erring local executives could be slapped with criminal suit, administrative and civil suits.
SAP UPDATE
Paje said SAP assistance was distributed as follows: P9.1 billion went to 1.6 million non — Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) recipients, P16.3 billion to close to 4 million 4Ps beneficiaries, and P323 million to some 40,000 public utility vehicle drivers.
He said DSWD had also distributed P182.5 million worth or 466,472 family food packs nationwide.
The agency intends to complete the distribution of the SAP aid for April on or before the end of month. Paje said there is a separate P100 billion fund for the SAP subsidy for May.
He reiterated that the DSWD has a grievance committee to receive complaints about SAP beneficiaries who are ineligible for the aid or if a household did not receive any assistance but felt that they should be included in the list of beneficiaries.
Paje also clarified that not all barangay tanods and health workers are eligible for inclusion in the SAP beneficiaries. He said only those who belong to low income families can get the cash aid.
MANDALUYONG AID
The Mandaluyong city government said it will distribute a P2,000 financial assistance to the city’s tricycle and jeepney drivers.
The cash help is authorized under City Resolution No. 2889 series of 2020 signed by Mayor Menchie Abalos.
The assistance will cover listed members of Mandaluyong’s Tricycle Operators and Drivers Associati0on (TODA) and the Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association (MAJODA).
KUWAIT-POLO
Just a week since it started, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Kuwait is already ending the cash assistance program for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
In an advisory, POLO – Kuwait Labor Attache Nasser Mustafa announced that it will no longer accept applications for the DOLE-AKAP for OFWs program beginning April 22.
Mustafa said that as of April 20, his office has received a total of 12,753 applications for the one-time financial assistance program for displaced OFWs in Kuwait.
Mustafa said POLO-Kuwait was only given a total allocation of 10,000 OFWs to avail of the program.
DOLE has been provided with a budget allocation of P1.5 billion for the AKAP program with the goal of assisting about 150,000 OFWs.
OWWA ASSISTANCE
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said it has provided assistance to 12,969 stranded OFWs more than a month since the imposition of the ECQ.
Of the figure, a total of 4,258 OFWs were provided with free transportation by OWWA.
On the other hand, OWWA said 3,965 OFWs were provided with temporary shelter assistance. In addition, there were also 3,743 stranded seafarers provided with food packs.
Lastly, OWWA said 1,003 OFWs in the regions that were provided with food, accommodation, and transportation assistance.
This is aside from the one-time financial assistance provided by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to OFWs affected by pandemic.
OWWA records show that 16,911 OFWs have returned home since the start of the pandemic. — With Jocelyn Montemayor, Christian Oineza and Gerard Naval
