By Charrisa Luci-Atienza The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Tuesday asked the local government units (LGUs) that completed their Social Amelioration Program (SAP) payout to immediately submit their liquidation reports as the second wave of emergency subsidies will only be delivered to them after the 1,634 LGUs have submitted their financial reporting documents. DSWD Secretary Rolando Baustista issued the call as he disclosed that only 659 LGUs have submitted their liquidation reports. DSWD Secretary and former Army chief Rolando Joselito D. Bautista
(John Jerome Ganzon / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) "Ang hiling ko sa ating lokal na pamahaalan ay pakibilis-bilisan ang pagsumite ng liquidation report kasi katulad ng nasabi ko noon, may implikasyon ito dahil makakaapekto ito sa validation ng ating benepisyaryo (My appeal to the local government is to expedite the submission of the liquidation report just like I said earlier that this has implication because this will affect the validation of the beneficiaries)," he said at the "Laging Handa" network briefing on Tuesday. He noted that 1,472 or 90 percent of 1,634 LGUs have recorded 100-percent completion of their SAP payouts. Of the number, 659 already submitted their liquidation reports. Bautista said a total of 280 LGUs are expected to finish their liquidation process for the first tranche of SAP distribution. He noted that over 17.52 million SAP beneficiaries or 96.35 percent of the 18 million low-income families targeted to receive the cash subsidies have been served. During the network briefing, Bautista maintained that the second phase of SAP will depend on the LGUs' submission of liquidation reports, and the DSWD's validation of the financial documents. "Ang validation natin ay nakasalalay sa liquidation report ng ating mga LGUs. Kelangan masusi natin tingan kung sino ang nakatanggap ng doble para di naman masayang o kaya maibigay ang nadoble sa iba pang eligible pero tuloy tuloy ang ating validation," he said. (Our validation will depend on the LGUs' submission of their liquidation report. We need to fully scrutinize as to who received double cash aid so that the aid will not be put to waste or the double assistance will be given to those who are eligible. Our validation of these liquidation reports continues.) "Ang prino-project namin, after 15 days siguro, dun magkakaroon ng linaw kung kelan maipapamahagi ang second tranche," he added. (Our projection is, after 15 days, it will be clear as to when we are going to distribute the second tranche.) He explained that after the Field Offices complete their validation, the Central Office will then conduct the deduplication wherein they name match the beneficiaries to the database of other government agencies, including the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to determine if there have been any cases of duplication. Under DSWD guidelines, the LGUs are required to submit the liquidation and financial reporting documents, including the list of encoded SAP beneficiaries, to the DSWD within 15 days from the completion of the distribution. Bautista reassured that the five million “left-out” beneficiaries who were not included in the master list of beneficiaries for the April emergency subsidies but are eligible will be prioritized in the second phase implementation of SAP. "Meron tayong budget para sa kanila para mabigyan sila ng first tranche (We have budget for them so that they will be given the first tranche) ," he said. "Kung sa second tranche, kasama sila sa ECQ areas na dineklara nung May 1, May 2 ay makakatanggap sila. (If in the second tranche, they are included in the ECQ areas declared on May 1, May 2, they will receive the cash aid)," he added. In a memorandum issued on May 22, Malacañang directed the inclusion of additional five million households as SAP beneficiaries for the second tranche, apart from the 12 million beneficiaries under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). In the memorandum dated May 22, 2020 and signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, household beneficiaries under GCQ "may still be considered" for the second wave of cash subsidies. “While it is only natural that most beneficiaries would come from those still living in Enhanced Community Quarantine areas, as stricter kinds of community quarantine deprive more people of means of support, household beneficiaries most affected by the continuing restrictions in the operation of certain industries and sectors in areas under the General Community Quarantine may still be considered for the Second Tranche," it said. The memorandum also directed the DSWD, in coordination with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and the National Privacy Commission (NPC), "to expedite the creation of the online portal containing the list of eligible household beneficiaries of the SAP." Under Republic Act No. 11469, the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, 18 million low-income households are entitled to receive emergency cash subsidies ranging from P5,000 to 8,000, depending on their respective regional wage rates, for the months of April and May.