The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) appealed for understanding on Sunday, July 12, over the slow distribution of the second tranche of emergency cash aid under the government’s Social Amelioration Program (SAP).
DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao said the agency is continuously intensifying its validation and de-duplication process to ensure that all the recipients of the second wave of subsidies are eligible and there will be no duplication in the availment of cash aid.
"Kami ay nanghihingi ng pang-unawa sa ating mga kababayan lalo na po ang ating beneficiaries under the Social Amelioration Program. Naiintindihan at nauunawaan na kinakailangan na po nila ang ayuda mula sa pamahalaan. Pinagsisikapan po ng DSWD na maipahatid ito sa lalong madaling panahon dahil batid po namin ang inyong pangangailangan," she said in an interview over DZBB.
(We are asking for understanding to our countrymen especially the beneficiaries under the Social Amelioration Program. We understand that they badly needed the aid from the government. The DSWD is trying to distribute this as soon as possible because we recognize your needs.)
"Tinitiyak lamang ng DSWD na maging maayos at malinis ang ating listahan para nga mas maayos 'yung ating pagpapatupad nitong programa (The DSWD just wants to ensure that we will have a clean list so that we can properly implement the program) . ...Kami ay humihingi ng konti pang-unawa (We are asking for your little understanding) but with the assurance that the services will provided to you" she added.
Dumlao said the DSWD Central Office is in close coordination with its different Field Offices to strengthen its validation and deduplication process to come up with clean lists of beneficiaries.
"Sa mga sumusunod na araw po ipapahatid na po 'yung ayuda sa mga qualified dahil nga po meron na po rin tayong mga clean lists at currently ito ay sinasaayos na ating mga Field Offices," she said.
(In the coming days, the cash aid will be delivered to qualified beneficiaries because we have clean lists and currently, they are being ironed out by our Field Offices.)
Dumlao noted that almost 180,000 waitlisted beneficiaries have received their cash aid, so far. These include those recipients from Makati City, Caloocan City, Quezon City and Pasig City who received their cash aid through digital payment.
In a radio interview, DSWD Secretary Rolando Bautista said on Saturday, July 11, they are seeking to cover 80 percent of its targeted beneficiaries for the second tranche of SAP by end of July.
He said so far, over 1.5 million beneficiaries of the 12 million households targeted to receive the second wave of emergency cash subsidies have been served.
The number includes the 1.3 million beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) who are cash card holders.