The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is in the process of preparing special guidelines to further its COVID-19 response and recovery interventions, President Duterte's report to Congress read.
In his report on the implementation of the Bayanihan To Recover As One (Bayanihan 2) Act, President Duterte wrote that the DSWD has consulted the Joint Oversight Committee of Congress to ensure the alignment of the provision of social amelioration measures.
The DSWD Field Offices have coordinated with the regional offices of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and regional mechanisms of the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases in determining the areas under granular lockdown for the proper targeting of low-income family beneficiaries.
PhilSys
Duterte's report stated that the implementation of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) will contribute to the more efficient and seamless distribution of government emergency benefits through cashless mechanisms and enabling households to have easier access to bank accounts.
As of September 30, 94 percent or 4,521 of the 4,829 required pre-registration personnel are already on board as reported by 31 of 32 target provinces. By the end of the year, the PhilSys targets to pre-register 9 million individuals and register 5 million low-income household heads.
Transpo subsidy
Based on the President's report, an emergency subsidy is continuously being distributed via an electronic transfer to drivers of jeepneys, UV Express, buses, taxis, ride-hailing services, and tourist transport services whose operations were suspended due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
Other assistance
Duterte's report bared that the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) has offered local government units (LGUs) emergency funding for the procurement of goods and services.
LBP also partnered with the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines in providing basic and support services for the recovery of local enterprises from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, the DILG continues to monitor the proper management of the remains of COVID-19 fatalities. There are 1,274 LGUs with organized Management of the Dead Clusters and 882 LGUs have designated funeral parlors/crematoriums that are willing to accept deceased suspect, probable, and confirmed COVID-19 cases.
As of September 24, a total of 336 LGUs have implemented a price freeze for funeral services.