Starpay Corporation has dismissed as "baseless" the claim of Senator Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao of corruption in the distribution of cash assistance during the pandemic.
Starpay issued a statement after Pacquiao alleged that it failed to distribute some ₱10.4 billion of aid under the Social Amelioration Program (SAP).
The firm was among the financial service providers (FSPs) tapped by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) last year to distribute the cash aid using e-wallets.
"Over the last several days, statements, allegations, and insinuations have been released using unverified data and we would like to set the record straight with readily verifiable facts that are also accessible and available in the public domain," Starpay said.
It said it was initially awarded coverage of about 1.6 million beneficiaries, but "went above and beyond", saying more than five million beneficiaries were given aid thru its platform "in a very short period of time."
"With our large partner network, we were able to expand and assist several million more beneficiaries to receive their much needed amelioration. This was achieved because of our unique online and offline distribution model, where beneficiaries without smartphones were given reference numbers to claim their amelioration at their own time and convenience," the firm said.
The company further said that contrary to Pacquiao's claim, it has already liquidated the funds and returned the a total of ₱8.239 billion to the DSWD for the unserved beneficiaries.
Starpay also belied Pacquiao's statements questioning its financial capacity, saying it has a paid up capital of ₱100 million, not ₱62,000 as claimed by the senator.
"Senator Manny Pacquiao’s statement during his press conference that our current capitalization is ₱62,000 is incorrect, while the correct and accurate figures are easily verifiable with the Securities and Exchange Commission," it said.
It added that it has also resolved 1,615 complaints, which "only constitute to 0.03 percent of the total served number of beneficiaries." Starpay said it "commit to upholding transparency and integrity in our operations".
The DSWD earlier said it is ready to face any investigation on the "missing" SAP funds as Pacquiao had alleged.
The senator, who flew to the United States for his fight with Errol Spence, said he will submit the documents on his claims to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee for a legislative inquiry.