DAVAO ORIENTAL – A total of 64,344 most vulnerable families in Davao Oriental are set to receive P6,000 cash assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development as part of the department’s Social Amelioration Program (SAP).
These family-beneficiaries belong to low-income households and other vulnerable sectors who are the hardest hit by the Enhanced Community Quarantine, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused immense disruption in the economic activities and affected the people’s means of livelihood.
Social Welfare Development Officer Mr. Reynante Cruz said that a total of P617 million has already been downloaded to all eleven local government units of the province ready for disbursement. However, the disbursement will proceed provided that the final lists of beneficiaries are submitted by the LGUs and validated by the DSWD. “Once the lists are finalized, the social amelioration cards will be distributed house-to-house to be filled out by the head of the household,” said Mr. Cruz.
To date, the DSWD has already disbursed cash assistance in some barangays in the municipalities of Boston, Tarragona, and Baganga while the distribution in the rest of the municipalities and the city is set to follow immediately as the department targets to finish the disbursement by next week.
Under the program, qualified family beneficiaries will receive P6,000 cash assistance for the month of April and another P6,000 for the month of May. The P6,000 subsidy was computed based on the prevailing minimum wage rate in the region.
Qualified Recipients
The beneficiaries who qualify for the SAP include the Informal Economy Workers such as drivers, house helpers, subcontracted workers, farmers, and stranded workers, among many others who lost their jobs and means of livelihood.
Also included are households with members belonging to vulnerable sectors such as senior citizens, differently-abled, pregnant and lactating, solo parents, indigent Indigenous Peoples, OFWs in distress, underprivileged and homeless, and other vulnerable sectors.
Moreover, the more than 44,000 families who are already beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4 Ps are automatically considered recipients of the program. They have already received P4,650 which is part of the total P6,000 emergency subsidy downloaded directly to their cash cards. The remaining P1,350 covers the beneficiaries’ rice subsidy and health grants amounting to P600, and P750, respectively.
For the rest of the beneficiaries, Mr. Cruz underscored the role of the Purok and barangay officials in the identification of the deserving recipients. “Once validated by the DSWD, social amelioration cards will be distributed to the household to be filled out by the head of the family. These cards will be given back to the city or municipality followed by the preparation of the payroll,” explained Cruz.
In a statement, Governor Nelson Dayanghirang appealed to the local officials to seriously take on their crucial role in the identification of recipients as he also warned those who will take advantage of the situation. “Give to the people what they are entitled for,” the Governor said.
Meanwhile, as the disbursement and distribution of cards have already started, the DSWD appeals to the public to wait in their homes as DSWD personnel are set to personally deliver the cash assistance to their homes.
The DSWD has reminded the recipients to prepare the basic documents required from them which include a photocopy of the recipient’s valid ID, police clearance or Voter’s Certification will serve in the absence of a valid ID. Also required is a Barangay Certification duly signed by the Punong Barangay or, in his absence, the officer of the day who is also an elected official.
Meanwhile, the DSWD appealed to the public’s understanding that for the SAP implementation, only those families who are in dire need will be prioritized to become recipients given the government’s limited funds. However, the department assures that the government is doing its best in sourcing out additional funds for more programs.
For families who are not included in the SAP may be referred to other programs or agencies such as the Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Agriculture, among many others.
The Social Amelioration Program is an inter-agency program of the government which bid to provide aid to those sectors whose incomes and livelihood were drastically affected by the Enhanced Community Quarantine. The national government has allocated a total of P200 billion for the program to be shared by the agencies that include Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Budget and Management, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Agriculture, Department of Finance, Office of President, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development. (kld-PIO)
