MANILA- Validation of eligibility of recipients of the government's cash subsidies will just follow to speed up the distribution of aid in light of the coronavirus pandemic, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Friday.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development removed the validation stage in the process of availing the cash aid to allow local government units to distribute money within 24 hours upon receipt of funds, Nograles said.
"Under the amended measure, the validation of beneficiaries will be conducted after the pay out of the subsidies," the Cabinet official said in a virtual press briefing.
So far, Nograles said DSWD has released P71.2 billion in aid to 1,648 local government units as part of its emergency subsidy program.
Many Filipino families have become dependent on food rations and government aid as the government imposed community quarantine measures to arrest the spread of COVID-19.
The government has allotted a P200-billion budget to provide subsidies, ranging from P5,000 to P8,000, to over 18 million families for 2 months.
Among those entitled to the cash aid are the elderly, homeless Filipinos, pregnant women, indigents, “no work, no pay” workers, and families that belong to the marginalized sectors.
Wage subsidies will also be provided to employees of small businesses, the government said.
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MANILA - Pasig City will provide about P8,000 each for some 113,000 families who were not included in the Department of Social Welfare and Development's (DSWD) list of cash aid beneficiaries, Mayor Vico Sotto said Sunday.
Under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, DSWD-identified beneficiaries will receive P8,000 twice, but only 93,000 of the 206,000 indigent families in Pasig City were included in the list, Sotto said.
"Lahat po ng hindi mabibigay sa listahan ng DSWD Social Amelioration Program, sasaluhin po ng Lungsod ng Pasig. Hindi sa buong halaga na P16,000 pero kung ano yung kaya, ibibigay natin," the mayor said.
(Pasig City will shoulder all those who were not included in the DSWD's Social Amelioration Program. We cannot match the P16,000 cash aid, but we will give what we can.)
"Medyo magkakaproblema po tayo kung 93,000 lang ang mabibigyan... [Kasi] kung yung kapitbahay niyo nabigyan tapos kayo hindi, baka magkaron ng mga akusasyon na may palakasan," he said.
(We might have a problem if only 93,000 will receive the cash aid because if your neighbor receives it and you don't, there might be accusations that the government is playing favorites.)
The amount of P8,000 per family may still change as the city government is still "studying its cash position," Sotto said.
The city government is in the process of finding cash sources to fund the supplemental cash aid program, the mayor said.
"'Yung pera ng Pasig na nasa trust fund, ilalabas natin... Magsasakripisyo tayo, maghihigpit tayo ng sinturon, may mga programang kakanselahin muna natin," he said.
(We will use the money from Pasig's trust fund... We will have to sacrifice, we will have to tighten our belts, there will have to cancel some programs.)
Sotto said the city government will try its best to provide for all Pasig City residents, but appealed to well-off Pasigueños to decline receiving aid.
"'Yung may kaya naman o yung may savings naman, wag na po kayo kumuha sa Pasig Social Amelioration Program natin," he said.
(For those who are well-off or have savings, please don't get from the Pasig Social Amelioration Program.)
"Hindi naman po ito Christmas gift. Ito po ay tulong sa mga nagugutom o mga magugutom," he said.
(This is not a Christmas gift. This is aid for those who are starving or those who are about to starve.)
Cases will be filed against residents who will try to get more aid than what is due to them, Sotto said.
The city government will start convening barangay officials this week to finalize how the supplemental aid will be distributed in communities, the mayor said.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
