By Genalyn Kabiling
The government is committed to complete the distribution of the second tranche of cash grants to poor families even if the Bayanihan law expires later this month, Malacañang said Monday.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque (Czar Dancel / MANILA BULLETIN)
According to Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, the funds for the subsidy program for the target beneficiaries have already been set aside and would not be affected by the June 25 expiry of the law governing it.
"Sa mga nagtatanong, mahihinto ba ho ang ayuda ng pamahalaan? Naku, hindi po. Tuloy po ang second tranche ng ayuda kahit kailan pa nag-expire ang Bayanihan Act (To those asking if the government aid will stop? It will not. The second tranche of aid will push through regardless of the expiry date of Bayanihan Act)," he said in a televised press briefing.
(Hindi po apektado ng expiration iyan dahil iyong obligasyon at iyong pera ay naririyan naman po. Iyong obligasyon na magbayad at saka iyong pera naririyan, hindi po iyan subject to expiration (It is not affected by the expiration because the obligation and funds are there. The obligation to pay and the funds set aside are not subject to expiration)," he said.
Under Republic Act No. 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, the government must provide an emergency subsidy between P5,000 and P8,000 to 18 million low income families for the months of April and May. The P200-billion welfare program however has been marred by delays due to discrepancies in the list of beneficiaries, among others.
The implementation of the first tranche of the program is almost complete while the second tranche is already being readied using electronic payment.
At least 5 million left out or waitlisted families will be added to the 12 million beneficiaries of the second tranche of the cash grant program.
Roque said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is currently validating the list of target beneficiaries of the second tranche of the cash grants. After the DSWD validation, Roque said there will be regional deduplication or cross-matching the names of beneficiaries with the government databases.