Barangay officials under fire as offshoot of SAP-related complaints
By Aaron Recuenco
The attempt of some barangay officials to divide the government cash assistance between the legitimate beneficiaries and those who were not included in the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) has placed them in trouble.
(DSWD REGION V / PAT ALBAY / MANILA BULLETIN)
In Albay, barangay councilor Ma. Dely Ala was slapped with criminal charges after she was accused of demanding half of the P5,000 from four SAP beneficiaries in order to share them to other poor residents of Barangay Cawit in Manito town who were not included in the list.
In Abra, barangay captain Dennis Felina and three other barangay officials were also charged for asking P2,500 from the P5,500 that their two constituents had received from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) under SAP.
Felina and the three other suspects allegedly wanted to give the two P2,500 to the two poor families in Barangay Luzong in Manabo town who were not included in SAP list.
In Vigan City, barangay captain Marino Cirilo, daycare teacher Jocelyn Cabotaje and barangay secretaty Jomar Garcia were also slapped with criminal charges for demanding almost P2,000 from the P5,500 cash assistance from some of the SAP beneficiaries in their barangay.
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) insisted that what the barangay officials was illegal since SAP does not allow sharing of the assistance.
Barangay officials, however, have become the objects of their constituents’ discontent over not being included in the SAP list. In some cases, violent confrontations were reported over arguments arising from the SAP distribution.
In order to address the problem, some barangay officials decided to divide the cash assistance in order to extend the same assistance to other poor families in their barangays.
Currently, CIDG director Maj. Gen. Joel Napoleon Coronel said that they are handling 93 cases on SAP cash distribution anomalies lodged by 372 complainants against 155 Government Officials.
Of the figure, Coronel said 64 of them are still under investigation, four are for filing, and 25 were already filed in court.
(DSWD REGION V / PAT ALBAY / MANILA BULLETIN)
In Albay, barangay councilor Ma. Dely Ala was slapped with criminal charges after she was accused of demanding half of the P5,000 from four SAP beneficiaries in order to share them to other poor residents of Barangay Cawit in Manito town who were not included in the list.
In Abra, barangay captain Dennis Felina and three other barangay officials were also charged for asking P2,500 from the P5,500 that their two constituents had received from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) under SAP.
Felina and the three other suspects allegedly wanted to give the two P2,500 to the two poor families in Barangay Luzong in Manabo town who were not included in SAP list.
In Vigan City, barangay captain Marino Cirilo, daycare teacher Jocelyn Cabotaje and barangay secretaty Jomar Garcia were also slapped with criminal charges for demanding almost P2,000 from the P5,500 cash assistance from some of the SAP beneficiaries in their barangay.
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) insisted that what the barangay officials was illegal since SAP does not allow sharing of the assistance.
Barangay officials, however, have become the objects of their constituents’ discontent over not being included in the SAP list. In some cases, violent confrontations were reported over arguments arising from the SAP distribution.
In order to address the problem, some barangay officials decided to divide the cash assistance in order to extend the same assistance to other poor families in their barangays.
Currently, CIDG director Maj. Gen. Joel Napoleon Coronel said that they are handling 93 cases on SAP cash distribution anomalies lodged by 372 complainants against 155 Government Officials.
Of the figure, Coronel said 64 of them are still under investigation, four are for filing, and 25 were already filed in court.