BACOLOD City – The city government’s releasing of assistance under its Bayad Agad program will resume following the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) issuance of the certificate of exemption.
Atty. Marty Go, secretary-to-the-mayor, confirmed that the program has been exempted from the election spending ban and the payout will now proceed after being suspended for almost a month.
The Bayad Agad program provides quick financial assistance to individuals in crisis, covering qualified residents in need of medical, burial, education, and calamity assistance, among others. It is sourced from the local fund and considered a public disbursement.
Go added that despite the temporary suspension of the payout, the city government continued to accept and process the applications for Bayad Agad.
Last month, the city government submitted to Comelec its application for exemption of its 32 social services, eight housing-related projects, and 243 infrastructure projects from election ban in connection with the upcoming May 12 midterm elections.
The poll body has exempted 64 infrastructure projects and 15 social services from the election ban as of first week of April.
These social services include the assistance to individuals in crisis situation (AICS), social pension, ladderized centenarian benefits, sustainable livelihood program, solo parent assistance, feeding program, poverty alleviation program, scholarship program, special program for employment of students, national dietary supplementation, and distribution of agricultural and marine supplies, among others./PN