By Armando Fenequito Jr.
DAVAO CITY --- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has reminded all barangay chiefs that they were not allowed to come up with their own solution on discrepancies in the distribution of aid from the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) of the national government.
DSWD 11 Regional Director Grace Subong said barangay officials were not given the authority to divide the money so that everyone, including those not in the SAP list, could be accommodated.
Subong said it was a violation of the guidelines of the DSWD on the SAP, and an administrative case could be filed against anyone violating it.
She made the disclosure at a virtual press conference hosted by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Region 11 on Monday.
Subong was reacting to a question if it was legal for beneficiaries could only receive P3,000 each, instead of P6,000 as set by the DSWD central office, just so everyone in the barangay could receive assistance.
Subong said a grievance team has been formed to resolve the problem related to their services.
She said she was hopeful the people will understand the process, and that the agency was ready for their calls.
Subong also urged those who were not included on the list to call their barangays to double check their identity with the DSWD and its staff.
Meanwhile, the official said not all barangays in Davao City have finalized and validated the lists of beneficiaries.
Subong said there were only 73 out of the 182 barangays which have submitted their final lists.
“The money is ready and we are just waiting for the final lists,” she said.
She said the DSWD 11 has a cash advance of P436,488,000 for Davao City alone, but it has only disbursed P101,580,000.