ILOILO City – Each beneficiary of the national government’s P6,000 Social Amelioration Program (SAP) cash assistance must receive the money in full, stressed the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
No government official is allowed to slash the monetary aid for whatever reason, according to Assistant Secretary Rhea Peñaflor.
“Under the Bayanihan Act, the P6,000 must be released intact by local governments. Fund slashing is prohibited,” she stressed.
Peñaflor, reacting to reports that some local government units slashed the cash assistance then gave the hacked amount to those unfortunately not covered by SAP, said such action was not in the guidelines.
“It is up to the beneficiaries, pagnakuha na nila ang P6,000, kon gusto nila buligan ang pihak nga balay nga wala SAP,” said Peñaflor.
She urged SAP beneficiaries who were coerced into giving up a portion of their cash assistance to register their complaints at DSWD, or text/call the following hotline numbers:
* Smart – 09474822864
* Globe – 09162471194
* Sun – 09329333257
“Gina-encourage gid sila nga mag-report so that may evidence kita nga indi kamo gusto buhinan ang ginahatag nga P6,000,” said Peñaflor.
She also revealed having asked the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to investigate the reported slashing of the cash assistance of SAP beneficiaries in Maasin, Iloilo – from P6,000 to P5,000.
Some SAP beneficiaries in Barangay Delgado, Maasin claimed they were made by barangay officials to sign waivers stating they were voluntarily giving up P1,000 from their P6,000 cash assistance and that the P1,000 would be given to those not covered by SAP in their village.
DSWD Region 6 records showed P36,342,000 was downloaded to the local government of Maasin for 6,057 target SAP beneficiaries in the town.
In an interview over DyOK Aksyon Radyo, Mayor Francis Amboy said he had asked barangay officials to make it clear to their constituents that giving up P1,000 from the cash assistance must be voluntary only, and that this was for the benefit of families not covered by SAP.
Everybody in Maasin is affected by the ongoing enhanced community quarantine, he pointed out./PN
