Claims of corruption and favoritism hounded the distribution of government assistance to the residents of the National Capital Region and four adjacent provinces which have been under the Enhanced Community Quarantine since March 29.
Ronald Tagle, barangay captain of Barangay Claro in Quezon City said that as early as Wednesday, he had been receiving complaints on why members of rich families were included in the list of those who would receive cash assistance while some people who were supposed to be in the list were excluded.
"But we have been expecting this because there were really a lot of people who are currently out of work due to the ECQ implementation," said Tagle.
Aside from Metro Manila, also under ECQ were the provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite and Laguna. These areas compose the so-called NCR Plus.
But Tagle said he had been explaining to the complaining parties that the list of beneficiaries were provided by the city government based on last year’s social amelioration program (SAP) family recipient list provided by the barangay.
In an interview on April 8, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya revealed that barangay officials, tanods (barangay security personnel), barangay health workers may receive the “ayuda’’ as long as they belong to the low-income bracket.
“Barangay officials, tanods. BHWs (barangay health workers) do not receive salaries but simply honoraria for their services,’’ Malaya explained.
The DILG spokesperson added that this year’s “ayuda (cash aid)’’ is for “low-income individuals’’ and it’s no longer like last year’s SAP where the priority were families in the informal sector.’’
In the present cash aid set-up, each individual in the NCR-plus will receive P1,000 each with each family being entitled to a maximum of P4,000.
“There is a Grievance and Appeals Committee per LGU (local government unit). Complaints and appeals can be filed there,’’ he added.
Informed of Malaya’s explanation, Tagle simply brushed it off and emphasized that it is better for barangay officials to have “hands-off policy on the cash assistance’’ to avoid any controversy and “accusations of favoritism in the barangay’’.
“Mas maraming nangangailangang constituents ko ng ayuda kaya sa kanila na lang yun (There are many of my constituents who are in dire need of the cash assistance that is why we let them have it,’’ Tagle said.
Even, Kagawad (village councilman) Cyrus Yaneza of the neighboring Barangay Quirino 2-B shared Tagles sentiments that the other qualified individuals should be prioritized in the cash distribution even if the barangay officials are included in the “ayuda (cash aid) roster)’’.
However, Yaneza noted that he sees no problem if the barangay tanods and street sweepers decide to “line-up’’ and take their P1,000 cash aid as they comprise the “poor sector’’ bracket.
An unidentified elderly bystander butted in and shared that barangay captains which he referred to as “kapitan del barrio’’ and later as barrio captain did not receive “honoraria’’ for their services during his younger years.
“Kahit anong gusto mong itawag dun, honoraria ay simpleng sahod para sa serbisyo (of barangay officials). Sa tingin ko and tunay na serbisyo publiko ay isang pribileyo at karangalan na di dapat suklian ng honoraria (Call it anyway you want honoraria is simply the same as income for their (barangay officials) services rendered. I think true public service is a privilege and an honor that should not be compensated with honoraria),’’ he noted.
He ended his statement by asking “madami pa kayang magka-interes na maging opisyal ng barangay kung walang sahod (will there be many interested persons who aim to be barangay officials if there is no honoraria)?’’