The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) announced Saturday that the digital distribution of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) 2 in Metro Manila is now in full swing.
With the huge crowd expected to troop to the remittance centers, DILG Secretary Eduardo Año reminded the recipients to strictly observe quarantine protocols like the wearing of masks and physical distancing in the midst of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
As of Aug. 7, Año said SAP 2 financial assistance has been disbursed to 71,701 waitlisted family beneficiaries in the National Capital Region (NCR).
The distribution is expected to be “complete by end of next week."
He said the digital disbursement of the SAP second tranche to some 1,553,052 original family beneficiaries have started in the pilot cities of Caloocan, Makati, Pasig, and Quezon City.
The DILG said the waitlisted family beneficiaries will receive P16,000 which is equivalent to two SAP tranches.
The original family recipients had received their first tranche last April and May and will get their second tranche of P8,000.
The DILG said the 4Ps beneficiaries will also receive their second tranche of P8,000.
Año disclosed that a total of P28.3 billion has been allocated for SAP 2 by the government.
He added the 17 LGUs in Metro Manila which have a total of 2,675,610 family beneficiaries (original, 4Ps, and waitlisted) will receive their emergency subsidy “through digital means and there will be no manual distribution unlike in the first tranche of the SAP."
“Both the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the DILG agreed that we will largely distribute SAP 2 via digital disbursement and we will only resort to manual disbursement in isolated rural areas in the provinces,” Año said.
“We are pleased to report that distributing SAP 2 through various digital platforms or FSPs is currently in full swing in Metro Manila,’’ he added.
Año stressed the DSWD and the DILG target Aug. 15 “to complete the distribution of SAP 2 financial aid to our target of more than 2,675,610 family beneficiaries, both original and wait-listed, in Metro Manila."
He maintained the release of the financial aid during the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) “will help mitigate the economic impact of stricter quarantine measures in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces."
As of Aug. 7, Año reported that 71,701 of the waitlisted family beneficiaries from Caloocan City, Las Pinas City, Makati City, Mandaluyong City, Marikina City, Navotas City, Pasig City, San Juan City, Valenzuela City, and Quezon City have received their financial assistance through GCash and Starpay, the partner Financial Service Provider (FSPs) of the DSWD.
The other FSPs tapped by the DSWD are PayMaya, Robinson’s Bank, and Union Bank.
Among the LGUs, Año said Quezon City has the most number of waitlisted beneficiaries of SAP 2 financial aid with 20,856 followed by Caloocan City with 18,704; and Pasig City with 17,865.