As the national government is being criticized for alleged slow distribution of cash assistance (ayuda), an official of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said it was because of the strict protocols that have to be observed.
In an Interview over GMA News, DILG Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya explained the intricacies in the LGUs’ withdrawal from the bank and distribution of the national government’s monetary assistance in Metro Manila which was placed under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from august 6 to 20 to slow down the transmission of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) Delta variant.
“Alam ko yung pressure (of the LGUs) kasi nung sinabi ko for example nung Miyerkules (August 11) na walang pag aantala ng pamimigay ng ayuda. Ang gusto ng tao lahat ng barangay nagsasabay sabay ng pamimigay. (I understand the pressure when I said for example last Wednesday that there should be no delays in the ayuda distribution. The people want the distribution to be done at the same time in all the barangays),’’ Malaya said.
Malaya said that dispensing the ayuda at the same time in all barangays is impossible due to several factors first with the lack of special disbursing officers since not everyone can lawfully be tasked to handle the ayuda distribution.
“Meron pong tinatawag na pagador o pay master. Bonded po yan. Nagpafile po yan ng fund sa BOT (Bureau of Treasury) at inaauthorize po yan mamigay ng pera. Hindi po yan puwede ibigay kahit kanino (We have what you call as the pagador or paymaster. They are bonded. They file funds to the BOT and they are authorized to distribute the cash aid. This task cannot be given to anyone),’’ he added.
Other factors include the need to prepare the list of recipients in coordination with the barangays, the identification of the distribution points, and the availability of cash from the bank.
But there are efficient methods of distribution and one of them is the virtual wallet method of the Makati City government.
Malaya, however, said that “Makati Zen’’ system was prepared a long time ago which the city used to provide financial aid to its senior citizens and vulnerable sectors stressing that the database was developed over time.
“So nung nagkaroon tayo ng ayuda nagamit nila (Makati City) ng todo yung kanilang sistema kasi sila yung nangunguna ngayon (cash aid distribution) at 52 percent. Baka nga umabot na ng 60 percent ito dahil itong datos ko ay as of yesterday (August 13) (So when we had this ayuda, they were able to fully utilize their system since they now lead at 52 percent. It might be at 60 percent now since my data was as of yesterday),’’ Malaya said. (Chito A. Chavez)