By Chito Chavez
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año on Wednesday cited the cities of Manila, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Parañaque, and Valenzuela for meeting the May 10 deadline in the distribution of cash aid for the qualified beneficiaries under the social amelioration program (SAP).
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año (Photo from Philippine Information Agency / MANILA BULLETIN)
“Majority of other towns across the country have given the P5,000 to P8,000 cash aid to 90 percent of beneficiaries and those with an 80-percent payout rate were asked to explain their performance," Año said in an interview over DZMM.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte initially asked for a 25-day extension for the SAP cash distribution aid. She confided that the city, even with its dense population and large number of low-income families, can meet the DILG deadline but may violate social distancing protocols in doing so.
Año said the DILG is checking reports about LGUs breaking quarantine protocols during the payout.
The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), where the DILG is a member, has mandated the public to stay at least one meter apart to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Año insisted that the LGUs cannot reason “lack of time’’ for their failure to meet the May 10 deadline in the SAP cash aid distribution.