[ad_1]
MANILA, Philippines – Nearly 2 million poor families have yet to receive cash aid from the government, one day after the final distribution deadline set for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and local governments expired on Sunday.
DSWD data showed that as of noon Monday, at least 16.1 million low-income families had received an emergency subsidy under the Social Improvement Program, or 89.42 percent of the 18 million target beneficiaries.
According to DSWD, for the first installment of P200 billion aid, at least P90.56 billion has been distributed to poor families across the country.
Of 1,634 local government units (LGU), 1,008 have reported full payments, the agency said.
The Secretary of the Interior, Eduardo Año, gave a higher number. In a statement Monday, it praised 1,265 of the 1,634 LGUs across the country for completing the distribution of the first tranche of cash aid.
“However, his work is not yet finished,” said Year. “We still have the second leg.”
Under the Bayanihan Law to Heal As One, poor families will receive monetary assistance ranging from P5,000 to P8,000, depending on where they reside, to help them overcome the economic impact of quarantine due to coronavirus disease.
In Metro Manila, Taguig is one of the cities that has finished the distribution of the first section in all its barangays. It was able to distribute the aid to around 92,000 recipients at the payment locations.
Term extensions
Initially, the payment was expected to be completed in late April, but had been extended until May 7, then again until May 10, after local governments failed to meet deadlines.
DSWD spokeswoman Irene Dumlao said the agency would defer to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) if there would be another extension of the first tranche payment.
However, in Metro Manila, local governments that failed to meet the May 10 deadline have until Wednesday to finalize all payments and proceed with the settlement process, said Director Vic Tomas of DSWD-National Capital. Region to the Investigator.
The decision, he said, was made by the local DSWD office through a memo delivered Monday.
Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista urged local governments on Monday to speed up payment as this would affect the distribution of the second tranche.
Bautista said DSWD was waiting for an executive order or written directive from the Office of the President to serve as the basis for the distribution of the second tranche.
Previously, the department had said that the second payment would depend on the submission by local governments of complete settlement reports on the distribution of the first tranche.
Year said DILG would begin issuing just cause orders to LGUs that performed poorly in distributing cash aid.
If a satisfactory answer or explanation is not given, an administrative case will be filed against you.
Year also said 183 barangay officials were being investigated for alleged bribery and corruption in cash aid payments.
Improving distribution
Civil society groups are asking the government for an easier way to raise concerns about subsidies so that the poor can get the help they need if they are not on the beneficiary list.
Grouped under the Philippine Action Network COVID-19 (PHCAN), they presented a set of proposals to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases to improve the distribution and disbursement of the emergency grant.
According to the Action for Economic Reforms, one of PHCAN’s member organizations, 66 organizations supported the statement, which included a grievance mechanism among its recommendations.
The government currently identifies who and where the poor are through an information management system called Listahan, but PHCAN said this was not updated and may have left out some vulnerable families.
He proposed that the government relax the documentary requirements and instead adopt a community voting system or barangay.
Clear barangay calendar
The group said that a clear schedule was needed at the barangay to regulate the flow of people receiving cash aid.
“An advance notice must be made that it will schedule the presence of the plaintiffs based, for example, on their last names, to avoid congestion at designated payment centers,” he said.
If time permits, PHCAN said implementing agencies should meet with stakeholders, such as banks, financial technology companies, and remittance centers, as well as agencies like the central bank and the Finance Department to establish alternative distribution channels. for cash, such as cash, charge and electronic money cards.
PHCAN also urged the government to improve communication efforts to the public regarding the subsidy, through the widespread distribution of brochures.
Read below
Disclaimer: Comments posted on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Cebudailynews management and owner. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we consider inconsistent with our editorial standards.
[ad_2]
