The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) vowed on Sunday, April 4, to keep an eye on the implementation of the government’s one-time financial aid program for 22.9 million low-income beneficiaries in areas under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
"In its continuing effort to provide technical assistance to local government units (LGUs) in the National Capital Region (NCR) plus, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will help in monitoring the implementation of the financial aid for low-income families affected by the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) measure,” the DSWD said in a statement.
DSWD sits as a member of the Joint Monitoring and Inspection Team (JMIT), whose creation was stipulated in the Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 1 series of 2021 on the implementation of the financial aid.
Under the JMC, the DSWD, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of National Defense (DND) are tasked to provide technical assistance to the LGUs "on their respective areas of concern.”
“The DSWD, together with the DILG City/Municipal Local Government Operations Office, Philippine National Police (PNP), City /Provincial Prosecutors Office, and civil society organizations (CSOs), will help address grievances of beneficiaries, monitor LGU compliance with applicable guidelines, seek the assistance of higher authorities in case of undue delay or systemic anomalies in the distribution, and cause the filing of administrative or criminal cases against public officials in irregular or unlawful practice relative to the financial aid,” the DSWD said.
The DSWD noted that the JMC mandates each LGU to create a Grievance and Appeals Committee to address grievances from beneficiaries.
The committee is required to maintain a hotline to receive and expeditiously act on complaints, it said.
The DSWD encouraged the beneficiaries to submit their complaints through the different grievance redress platforms of their respective LGUs.
“By monitoring the implementation of the latest cash subsidy, the public can be assured that the financial assistance is given to the rightful beneficiaries and government funds are used for its intended purpose,” it said.
On March 31, the DSWD provided the list of Social Amelioration Program (SAP) beneficiaries to the LGUs as part of its technical assistance to help ensure the immediate distribution of one-time financial aid to around 22.9 million recipients in ECQ areas.
The DSWD urged the LGUs to include the low-income individuals living alone and those belonging to the most affected and vulnerable sectors, in the list of beneficiaries for the government’s latest financial aid to low-income beneficiaries affected by the imposition of ECQ from March 29 to April 4.
Last week, DSWD Secretary Rolando Bautista vowed to set up a "grievance mechanism" to help ensure the transparent and expeditious distribution of the P23-billion worth of financial aid.