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The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Region 12 (Soccsksargen) has been bombarded by numerous complaints from residents claiming to be beneficiaries of the Social Improvement Program (SAP) but did not receive the government cash grant.
SAP beneficiaries attacked 26 village captains in the city of General Santos for failing to present the exact list of names of qualified beneficiaries.
“Only those who have been favored by officials from interested barangay (villages) can benefit from SAP due to their profile and validation,” said one of the complainants, who asked for anonymity, in an interview.
Rebecca Magante, General Santos City Social Welfare and Development Office, said that due to complaints received by her office, the validation teams would carry out an investigation not only in General Santos City but throughout the region.
Magante also said that DSWD staff would validate the list of families eligible and ineligible for SAP assistance, which was intended for residents most affected by the impact of community quarantine measures amid the coronavirus pandemic.
He noted that reports gathered by his office showed that nearly 39 percent of the P556 million funds have already been distributed to qualified beneficiaries during the first batch of distribution. The second batch will take place before the end of May.
Complaints about government monetary assistance through SAP were also approved and reported to the national central office of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), as local government officials were involved.
In Maguindanao, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has been chosen to lead the investigation into suspected SAP distribution irregularities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
BARMM Interior Minister Naguib Sinarimbo said Sunday that NBI participation was a recommendation from DILG.
“We have met with officials from the NBI, the DILG board [national office] is to seriously analyze the public’s complaint, mainly against barangay officials, “Sinarimbo said.
“We also received complaints that some village officials have demanded a cut in SAP, some had changes, others were forced to give the cut when officials arrived at the beneficiaries’ homes,” he added.
President Rodrigo Duterte offered a P30,000 reward to anyone who can identify the “corrupt officials” involved in the bribery and corruption of the government’s monetary aid program.
Complainants with complaints were advised to send messages to the government’s anti-corruption hotline 8888.
WITH JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL
