San Juan City has started releasing Friday the second tranche of the government’s social amelioration program (SAP) through card-less transaction.
Mayor Francis Zamora said the local government utilized the 4,000-seater San Juan Arena for the distribution of the P8,000 cash aid to prevent beneficiaries from trooping at partner banks and ensure that minimum health standards are observed.
The city government has coordinated with Robinsons Bank to provide four automatic teller machines (ATMs) at the arena for an orderly, easy and convenient distribution of the cash assistance.
“This is also intended to control the number of people claiming their SAP all at the same time and avoid long queues which would pose problems of physical distancing at the bank’s branches,” the city government said.
“Beneficiaries are given a unique seven-digit Card Access Number that will allow them to withdraw via card-less transaction,” the city government said in a statement.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the agency in charge of the disbursement of the cash aid, partnered with Robinsons Bank for the SAP distribution.
Of the more than 16,000 SAP recipients who benefitted from the first tranche, Zamora said about 3,000 beneficiaries were removed from the list after validation.
Zamora said qualified SAP recipients will receive a text message informing them that they qualified for the cash aid and will be given a seven-digit card access number that will allow them to withdraw the amount.
The mayor said each of the city’s 21 barangays were given a schedule from August 28 to September 10 to prevent crowding at the arena.
Free transportation will be provided by the city government and the barangays.
Law enforcement personnel and City Hall employees were deployed to make sure that minimum health protocols are followed and assist the SAP recipients.