By Dhel Nazario The Pasay City Government has provided cash assistance to more than 94 percent of the beneficiaries of the first tranche of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) on Monday. (Brgy. 66 zone 08, Pasay City / MANILA BULLETIN) In a report to the Department of the Interior and Local Government National Capital Region (DILG-NCR), DILG city director Gloria Aguhar said 41,856 of the 45,156 beneficiaries were able to receive the cash assistance. But Aguhar was quick to point out that this does not necessarily mean that the local government unit failed in its drive. “Not all of those approved and included in the payroll (of P370,288,000) was able to physically claim the subsidy. These include senior citizens, persons with disability, and (people who are) under quarantine during the payout,” she said in a letter to DILG-NCR Regional Director Maria Lourdes L. Agustin. Aguhar added that some were also disqualified outright by the Department of Social Welfare and Development-NCR.” Pasay originally wanted 53,405 people to receive the SAP package, but only 46,286 beneficiaries were allotted funds amounting to P370.28 million. From the 46,286 beneficiaries, only 45,156 people were approved to receive SAP. Pasay faced tremendous odds in the cash distribution as the city’s social workers were halved as they underwent self-quarantine. This prompted Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano to tap personnel from other departments to augment the workforce. “This is bayanihan at its best,” the mayor said. “Our city hall employees saw the need to fast track the distribution of the cash benefits to ease the financial burden of the beneficiaries,” she added. Aguhar informed the DILG that “the distribution through house-to-house to those beneficiaries mentioned above is being done.”