Barangays told to make public list of SAP beneficiaries
Published Apr 18, 2020 12:00 am
By Chito Chavez and Charissa Luci-Atienza
To ensure that only deserving beneficiaries are provided with the financial assistance under the social amelioration program (SAP), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has ordered all punong barangays (village chiefs) to make public the list of the target recipients in their barangays.
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año
(PCOO / MANILA BULLETIN) The DILG has been bombarded with complaints of bias on the part of rogue barangay officials manipulating the lists to favor their relatives and political supporters, some of whom are unqualified. DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año said the order will ensure transparency and will make the barangay officials answerable for their misdeeds. He noted that it is important to fully disclose the list of target SAP beneficiaries as this will promote the honest, transparent, and orderly management of the SAP funds. “We want the process of identifying the target beneficiaries under the SAP to be transparent. Hence, we have directed all our punong barangays to post the master list of beneficiaries in strategic areas in their barangays so that the residents will also be informed if they will receive the said financial assistance from the government,” Año said. The DILG secretary said it is also important for the punong barangays to fully disclose the list of beneficiaries so that residents will be able to give them feedback if they think they should be part of the list. He added that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has given the assurance that the local government units (LGUs) may request for additional funding in order to cover those who were not included in the first tranche of SAP financial assistance released earlier this month. Año issued the statement after receiving reports from field offices on the lack of transparency in the distribution of social amelioration cards and other SAP forms and assistance to target beneficiaries. Among the conspicuous public places where LGUs can post the list of target SAP beneficiaries are the barangay hall, city/municipal hall, social center, gymnasium, auditorium, transport terminal, public market, health station or center, hospital, and other similar public places. In an advisory on the implementation of SAP and other programs, projects, and activities against COVID-19, Año instructed punong barangays to organize project monitoring teams to monitor the SAP implementation in their areas. Año clarified that the SAP coursed through the DSWD is intended solely for low-income families with at least one member belonging to the informal economy, and for members of the most vulnerable sectors of society whose entire family has totally lost its source of income during the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine and state of calamity. Emergency subsidies A total of P6.773 billion emergency subsidies have been given to more than 875,000 low-income households who are non-beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) nationwide, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said yesterday. DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao said that as of 8 p.m., April 18, a total of 875, 971 low-income families benefitted from the government's implementation of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP). "As of April 18, 8 p.m., P6.773 billion given to non-4Ps beneficiaries," she said. "Of the P6.773 billion transferred to LGUs, 875,971 non-4Ps beneficiaries have been served," she said. Dumlao disclosed that as of April 18, the total amount of SAP funds downloaded to the LGUs was P73.142 billion. The figure is 91.43 percent of the P80 billion downloaded by the DSWD Central Office to its Regional Offices on April 3 for distribution to non-CCT SAP beneficiaries numbering to 13.556 million households. Dumlao noted that a total of 16.3 billion was distributed to more than 3.7 million 4Ps beneficiaries who are cash card holders. Barangay tanods, healthcare workers Recognizing their public service during the emergency crisis, the DILG said families of all barangay tanods (village security officers) and barangay health workers in the country are now entitled to receive benefits mandated under the SAP of the national government. DILG Undersecretary and spokesman Jonathan Malaya said DSWD Secretary Rolando Bautista issued a memorandum on Friday approving the recommendation of the DILG for the inclusion of these barangay frontliners in the SAP program. Malaya thanked Bautista for approving the DILG recommendation and “for listening to the appeal of our village workers for them to be also given financial aid given to those affected by the pandemic." He said the barangay tanods and health workers are not regular employees but only receive allowances from the barangay at rates dependent on the financial capacity of the barangay. “The BHWs (barangay health workers) compose our BHERTS (Barangay Health Emergency Response Team). They are our first responders. The tanods implement the quarantine in the community. It is just right that they be given financial assistance since they are there in the frontlines together with our police, firemen, LGUs (local government units), and medical professionals,” he said.
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año(PCOO / MANILA BULLETIN) The DILG has been bombarded with complaints of bias on the part of rogue barangay officials manipulating the lists to favor their relatives and political supporters, some of whom are unqualified. DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año said the order will ensure transparency and will make the barangay officials answerable for their misdeeds. He noted that it is important to fully disclose the list of target SAP beneficiaries as this will promote the honest, transparent, and orderly management of the SAP funds. “We want the process of identifying the target beneficiaries under the SAP to be transparent. Hence, we have directed all our punong barangays to post the master list of beneficiaries in strategic areas in their barangays so that the residents will also be informed if they will receive the said financial assistance from the government,” Año said. The DILG secretary said it is also important for the punong barangays to fully disclose the list of beneficiaries so that residents will be able to give them feedback if they think they should be part of the list. He added that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has given the assurance that the local government units (LGUs) may request for additional funding in order to cover those who were not included in the first tranche of SAP financial assistance released earlier this month. Año issued the statement after receiving reports from field offices on the lack of transparency in the distribution of social amelioration cards and other SAP forms and assistance to target beneficiaries. Among the conspicuous public places where LGUs can post the list of target SAP beneficiaries are the barangay hall, city/municipal hall, social center, gymnasium, auditorium, transport terminal, public market, health station or center, hospital, and other similar public places. In an advisory on the implementation of SAP and other programs, projects, and activities against COVID-19, Año instructed punong barangays to organize project monitoring teams to monitor the SAP implementation in their areas. Año clarified that the SAP coursed through the DSWD is intended solely for low-income families with at least one member belonging to the informal economy, and for members of the most vulnerable sectors of society whose entire family has totally lost its source of income during the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine and state of calamity. Emergency subsidies A total of P6.773 billion emergency subsidies have been given to more than 875,000 low-income households who are non-beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) nationwide, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said yesterday. DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao said that as of 8 p.m., April 18, a total of 875, 971 low-income families benefitted from the government's implementation of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP). "As of April 18, 8 p.m., P6.773 billion given to non-4Ps beneficiaries," she said. "Of the P6.773 billion transferred to LGUs, 875,971 non-4Ps beneficiaries have been served," she said. Dumlao disclosed that as of April 18, the total amount of SAP funds downloaded to the LGUs was P73.142 billion. The figure is 91.43 percent of the P80 billion downloaded by the DSWD Central Office to its Regional Offices on April 3 for distribution to non-CCT SAP beneficiaries numbering to 13.556 million households. Dumlao noted that a total of 16.3 billion was distributed to more than 3.7 million 4Ps beneficiaries who are cash card holders. Barangay tanods, healthcare workers Recognizing their public service during the emergency crisis, the DILG said families of all barangay tanods (village security officers) and barangay health workers in the country are now entitled to receive benefits mandated under the SAP of the national government. DILG Undersecretary and spokesman Jonathan Malaya said DSWD Secretary Rolando Bautista issued a memorandum on Friday approving the recommendation of the DILG for the inclusion of these barangay frontliners in the SAP program. Malaya thanked Bautista for approving the DILG recommendation and “for listening to the appeal of our village workers for them to be also given financial aid given to those affected by the pandemic." He said the barangay tanods and health workers are not regular employees but only receive allowances from the barangay at rates dependent on the financial capacity of the barangay. “The BHWs (barangay health workers) compose our BHERTS (Barangay Health Emergency Response Team). They are our first responders. The tanods implement the quarantine in the community. It is just right that they be given financial assistance since they are there in the frontlines together with our police, firemen, LGUs (local government units), and medical professionals,” he said.