Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso blasted officials from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for their "divisive" statements on the one-time cash assistance list in the National Capital Region (NCR).
This was after DSWD Spokesperson Irene Dumlao and Usec. Rene Glen Paje said local chief executives have the discretion to identify the beneficiaries of the one-time emergency cash assistance being distributed by the national government amid the reimposition of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
Domagoso stressed that he and the other Metro Manila mayors only followed the list of Social Amelioration Program (SAP) beneficiaries that they received from the DSWD.
"Lalo niyo lang nililito ang tao, eh. Eh bakit ba kayo nagkukubli, eh kayo ang nagbilin (You are confusing the people even more. Why are you avoiding blame when we are just following your orders)?" he said in a live broadcast on Facebook on Saturday (April 17).
"Panget sa mata ng tao na nagtuturo kayo, eh. Unang-una, kayo palpak, eh (It is not good for the people to see you pointing fingers. First of all, it was you who failed)," he added. "Sila ang gumawa, mukhang hindi nila alam ang ginagawa nila (They were the ones who made the list, it looks like they do not know what they are doing)."
The Manila mayor said that instead of pointing fingers at Metro Manila mayors, the social welfare department should just fire its incompetent staff.
He also slammed DSWD for its "slow" turnover of work and "divisive" statements.
Domagoso said the social welfare department has yet to turn over financial assistance to 59,000 families in the capital city in line with its distribution of the second tranche of SAP.
"Sa 59,000 na utang ninyo, 59,000 families sa pangalawang SAP ninyo, magdadalawang taon na ganon kayo kabagal (You are still indebted to 59,000 for your second tranche of SAP. It's almost been two years, that's how slow you are)," he said.
"Kaya magpasalamat kayo, dinedeliver namin ang trabaho niyo. At hindi basta dineliver, efficiently (So, thank us because we are delivering your jobs. And not just delivering, doing it efficiently)," he added. "The least thing that we are expecting from you is to thank the local government unit employees who are there morning, noon, and night."
The local chief executive said the DSWD should provide help to everyone and not just a selected number of individuals because everyone is affected by the pandemic.
On April 16, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman (MMDA) Benhur Abalos said the Metro Manila mayors were upset over the DSWD's "unfair" statements and that the social welfare department should have provided clearer guidelines on the list of cash aid beneficiaries.