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President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to use the military to ensure the rapid distribution of monetary assistance to families affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Duterte issued the directive to the Secretary of Social Welfare, Rolando Bautista, during a briefing with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, which was issued by the state-owned PTV4 on Tuesday.
She said that female staff in the Philippine Armed Forces could be deployed to help distribute emergency cash assistance under the Social Improvement Program (SAP) because they have more patience and empathy.
Duterte’s order came after Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said that at least 183 barangay (village) officials were under investigation for alleged irregularities in the distribution of emergency monetary assistance.
Year, however, he said that the identities of these village officials would not be disclosed while an investigation was carried out.
The President previously offered a P30,000 reward to anyone who reports to an official involved in corruption in the distribution of financial aid.
Year said the complaints flooded hotlines established by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and DSWD.
“Binabalaan ko kayo. Kung nag-iisip kayo na mangulimbat ng tulga na for sa kagarangay ninyo (I warn you. If you are thinking of bagging the money that is supposedly for your constituents), we will go after you, ”he said.
Under SAP’s P200 billion, local government units (LGUs) in coordination with DSWD have a mandate to distribute cash aid ranging from P5,000 to P8,000, to 18 million poor families affected by the pandemic.
As of Monday, 1,265 of 1,632 LGUs have passed the deadline for distribution of the first tranche of SAP aid, according to DILG.
