By Charissa Luci-Atienza The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has started distributing emergency subsidies in five other regions, aside from the national capital region (NCR) initially benefitting more than 5,000 low-income families. The DSWD said the field offices' distribution of the emergency subsidy under the government's Social Amelioration Program (SAP) started on Wednesday, April 8. In Region I (Ilocos), the recipients of the P5,500 cash aid were 238 families from four barangays in Santa, Ilocos Sur, and to 298 beneficiaries from three villages in Santol, La Union. DSWD field office employees were assisted by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and personnel from the local government unit (LGU) during the emergency subsidy distribution. A total of 999,531 households are expected to receive the emergency subsidy in Region I. In Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), a total of 64 families from San Antonio Village, Baguio City received their P5,500 cash subsidy. In Region III (Central Luzon), some 3,750 qualified families from Pandi, San Rafael, and Baliuag towns in Bulacan got their P6,500 cash aid, amounting to P24.375 million. The DSWD said the distribution of emergency subsidies to more than 2.2 million low-income families in Region IV-A or CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas,Rizal and Quezon) has also began. The DSWD Field Office IV-A reported that out of 80,477 families who are target beneficiaries of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) in Bacoor City, more than 1,000 qualified family-beneficiaries each received P6,500 subsidy on Wednesday, April 8. The subsidy allocation in Bacoor City amounted to P523.1 million. The distribution in this city will be completed until April 11, the DSWD noted. The DSWD-Field Office IV-B has also started distributing the P5,000 cash assistance to families in Baco, Oriental Mindoro. In the MIMAROPA (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan) Region, a total of 233,443 households are set to receive the emergency subsidy. Of the number, 116,754 beneficiaries are from Oriental Mindoro. The DSWD said the emergency assistance per region is based on the regional minimum wage rates. The low-income households in the National Capital Region (NCR) receive P8,000 emergency subsidy, while at least seven regions, get the minimum subsidy of P5,000. A cash subsidy amounting to P6,500 is extended to two regions--Region III (Central Luzon) and Region IV-A (Calabarzon). Low-income households in Region VI (Western Visayas) , VII (Central Visayas), X (Northern Mindanao) , and XI (Davao) get P6,000 emergency subsidy from the government. Expected to receive P5,500 cash subsidy are poor households in three regions--Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Region I (Ilocos) and Region II (Cagayan Valley). The minimum subsidy of P5,000 is given to seven regions--Region IV-B (Mimaropa), Region V (Bicol). Region VIII (Eastern Visayas), IX (Zamboanga Peninsula) , XII (Soccksargen), CARAGA, and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) "DSWD continues to deliver the social amelioration assistance to low-income families or those on subsistence economy or workers in the informal economy, and with members belonging to the vulnerable sector, assessed to be the most affected by the declaration given their existing life situations or circumstances, while adhering to health and safety protocols," it added.