By Ellson Quismorio Cagayan de Oro City 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said implementers of the government’s Social Amelioration Program (SAP) under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act could still face criminal charges if they exclude areas with less strict quarantine restrictions from the much-delayed second wave of financial assistance. Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez (Rufus Rodriguez official Facebook / MANILA BULLETIN) Rodriguez gave this warning Thursday, June 25, the day on which the three-month effectivity of President Duterte's "emergency powers" under Republic Act (RA) No. 11469 or the Bayanihan Law was set to expire. He noted that agencies led by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) are now preparing to distribute another P100 billion to low-income families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the inter-agency task force (IATF) against COVID-19, upon the recommendation of the DSWD, has decided to limit the second wave of assistance to households in communities covered by the stricter enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and general community quarantine (GCQ). Rodriguez said the IATF decision and the DSWD recommendation on which it was based violate RA No.11469, a key feature of which is the SAP. He said the law mandates that emergency financial assistance worth P5,000 to P8,000 should be distributed for two months (April and May) to some 18 million low-income families nationwide. The law was enacted on March 24 when the ECQ was still in effect. The first tranche of cash aid was distributed in May. He said limiting the aid to households in areas covered by stricter quarantine means that poor families in most parts of the country will not receive assistance, since only Metro Manila and some parts of Cebu remain under GCQ and ECQ, respectively. “Among those who will not get aid are about 8,000 families who are my constituents in the second district of Cagayan de Oro City. We cannot stop them and other affected families from going to court to challenge the IATF decision,” he added. Rodriguez reminded the concerned officials that the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act itself provides penalties for violations. They are also liable to charges under the Anti-Graft Law, he said. The DSWD has already distributed an initial P100 billion to target households under SAP. It can be recalled that some areas in the country have eased into GCQ from ECQ since last month. On June 1, Metro Manila, which had the lion's share of COVID-19 positive cases, was placed under GCQ. “Being under GCQ does not mean that low-income families will be able to go to work already and earn income. It definitely does not mean that they are disqualified from receiving SAP-2 aid,” Rodriguez earlier said. The House of Representatives, through the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, launched last week an inquiry into delays in the distribution of SAP aid.