Palace expects completion of 2nd SAP aid this week

FILE: Local officials and personnel of the Department of Social and Development (DSWD) observe proper distribution of emergency cash subsidies under the government’s Social Amelioration Program to qualified beneficiaries at the Gatid Elementary School in Santa Cruz, Laguna on Monday (May 04, 2020). (PNA photo by Jess M. Escaros Jr.)

MANILA – Malacañang on Tuesday expressed optimism that the distribution of the second tranche of cash subsidies under the national government’s social amelioration program (SAP) would be completed within the week.

The Palace is now expecting the faster release of SAP payouts, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said after Interior Secretary Eduardo Año announced on Monday that the all-out disbursement of the cash aid amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic has already begun.

“Full blast na po ang distribution ng second tranche ng SAP ngayong linggo. Inaasahan pong matatapos ito ngayong linggo (The distribution of the second tranche of the SAP goes full blast this week. We expect that it will be done within the week),” Roque said in a virtual presser aired on state-run PTV-4.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development, the lead agency tasked to implement the SAP, earlier guaranteed that the distribution of the second tranche of emergency subsidies to poor households would be completed within the month.

The national government has earmarked a PHP200-billion emergency package for low-income households amid the Covid-19 crisis.

The remaining PHP100 billion of the PHP200-billion SAP will be given to some 17 million indigent families who are residing in areas that were placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and modified ECQ in May.

SAP recipients would get financial assistance ranging from PHP5,000 to PHP8,000 to help them cope with the health crisis.

The second tranche of SAP would be distributed in Metro Manila; Central Luzon, except Aurora province; Calabarzon; the provinces of Benguet, Pangasinan, Iloilo, Albay, and Cebu; and the cities of Bacolod, Zamboanga, and Davao.

As of June 16, some 1.3 million low-income families who are also beneficiaries of the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program have received the second tranche of SAP aid.

496 complaints vs. local execs

Meanwhile, Roque noted that the government has responded to about 496 complaints lodged against local officials who were supposedly involved in the anomalous distribution of the first wave of SAP assistance.

“Ang karamihan ng mga complaint po ay laban sa mga local na opisyal tungkol po doon sa distribution ng SAP o ng ating ayuda (Most of the complaints filed were against local officials regarding the distribution of SAP or our assistance),” he said.

Some 264 erring local officials are facing criminal charges, Roque said, adding that cases against 157 local public officials have been filed before the Public Prosecutor’s Office, while investigation is ongoing against 61 others.

He said about 153 village captains and five village councilors are also facing administrative cases and 20 village captains have been charged at the Office of the Ombudsman.

The first round of SAP implementation has been confronted with delays due to the supposed unlawful activities committed by local government officials.