MANILA – Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rolando Joselito Bautista on Tuesday said they are carefully cross-matching beneficiaries of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) to make sure there is no deduplication of cash grants.
In a DSWD-hosted press briefer Tuesday afternoon, Bautista said during the deduplication process, some 24,581 public utility vehicles (PUVs) and 1,959 motorcycle taxi (MC) drivers were found to be beneficiaries under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
“Kung kayat silay ay hindi na napapasama [dahil may natatanggap na sila galing sa 4Ps] (That is why they were no longer in the list because they are already receiving aid under 4Ps),” he said.
Bautista made this response to claims that there are drivers “who did not receive assistance at all”.
During President Rodrigo Duterte’s fifth State of the Nation Address on Monday, he urged the DSWD and Department of the Interior and Local Government to look into the problem.
Since the distribution of the first tranche of SAP, Bautista said DSWD and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) worked together to provide the emergency cash subsidy to drivers to help them sustain their daily needs as they lost income during the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine in the National Capital Region (NCR).
Bautista said they have provided cash aid to 98,132 TNVS, MC, and PUV drivers in the National Capital Region in the amount of PHP795,056,000 for the first tranche.
“Drivers who were not included in the certified list of LTFRB were referred to [DSWD] field offices as waitlisted,” he added.
Bautista added that they have a nationwide target of 217,170 drivers as waitlisted beneficiaries.
PUV drivers are advised to check the list of beneficiaries uploaded on the LTFRB website to know if they are eligible for the assistance.
Those included on the list may claim their cash aid at the nearest branch of Landbank of the Philippines (LBP), which processes a maximum of 500 beneficiaries a day.
When claiming the assistance, drivers need to present their license and a photocopy of the same with two signatures, the agency instructed.
Meanwhile, other DSWD field offices including Cagayan Valley, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga, Soccsksargen and Caraga already disbursed aid to drivers who were among the waitlisted beneficiaries in their respective areas.
In NCR, some 84,014 drivers already received payouts under SAP.
The distribution of the second tranche of SAP is ongoing until the agency reaches their target beneficiaries by the end of July or the first or second week of August.