The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is seeking to serve the remaining 1.3 million beneficiaries or less than 10 percent of the 14.1 million targeted beneficiaries for the second tranche distribution of emergency cash subsidies under the government’s Social Amelioration Program (SAP).
Based on its SAP monitoring data, the DSWD said as of August 17, 12 noon, it has covered over 12.7 million SAP 2 beneficiaries.
“The total number of families served is 12,757, 732,” it reported.
The number of served beneficiaries is 90.4 percent of the agency's targeted 14.1 million recipients for the second tranche.
The DSWD said it has distributed P76.2 billion worth of emergency cash subsidies to the beneficiaries in 11 areas covered by SAP 2.
“Patuloy ang pamamahagi ng emergency subsidy sa mga benepisyaryo ng SAP, kabilang ang mga “waitlisted” o karagdagang pamilya (The distribution of the emergency subsidy to the beneficiaries of SAP, including the waitlisted or additional families, continues),” it said in a Facebook post.
The 11 areas covered by SAP 2 are Region III (Central Luzon) , except Aurora province, the NCR; Region IV-A (CALABARZON) ; Benguet; Pangasinan; Iloilo; Cebu Province; Bacolod City; Davao City, Albay province and Zamboanga City.
The DSWD earlier said it is eyeing to complete the distribution of the second tranche of SAP 2 subsidies by August 15.
In another Facebook post, the DSWD announced that its partner-financial service provider, GCash will refund the SAP beneficiaries who were charged P50 for their over-the-counter cash outs.
Initially, a minimal amount of cash out fee of not more than P50 is deducted from their subsidies from SAP beneficiaries who opt to withdraw from the partner-outlets of the FSPs.
“Para sa (For all) over-the-counter cash outs, ibabalik namin sa inyong (We will return to your) GCash wallet ang (the) cash-out fees over P50 though rebate. Ito ang aming paraan ng (It is our way) pakikipag-bayanihan (of showing our oneness) sa lahat ng Pilipino (to all Filipinos) habang patuloy tayong naapektuhan ng (while we are being affected by the) pandemic,” the GCash said in an advisory posted on DSWD’s official FB page.
GCash is one of the six FSPs tapped by the DSWD for the digital payment of the second tranche of SAP cash subsidies. Other FSPs are RCBC, Robinsons Bank, PayMaya, Starpay, and Unionbank.
On June 30, 2020, the DSWD signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) and six FSPs identified by the Bangko Sentral Pilipinas (BSP) for the digital electronic disbursement of cash aid.