The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is eyeing to finish the distribution of the social amelioration program (SAP) this month, its official said on Thursday.
During the hearing of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, DSWD Undersecretary Danilo Pamonag said the agency has already disbursed the second wave of the SAP to 3.2 million beneficiaries amounting 19.4 billion.
“We hope to complete the payouts for second tranche through a combination of digital and direct payouts by the end of July,” Pamonag added.
“However, we are foreseeing that some payouts may extend in August due to some factors such as mobility constraints in reaching far-flung areas or geographically isolated disadvantaged areas, which might take a day or two to reach,” he said.
Pamonag also said there are also security concerns, which may require a systematic coordination and planning with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
“I would like to inform you that we are closely coordinating with the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” he said.
He added delays may also occur due to the health factors as some of the SAP implementers have to observe the 14-day quarantine.
“These are the three significant factors which we foresee that may possibly delay the implementation of SAP. Otherwise we can finish it by the end of this month,” he added.
For the second tranche of the cash subsidies, the DSWD is targeting 12 million family-beneficiaries and around 5 million waitlisted families.
The national government has allotted a total of P200 billion as subsidy for low-income households, farmers, and fisherfolk affected by the pandemic.
Image credits: Nonoy Lacza
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