Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 9) —Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said the distribution of cash aid for the beneficiaries of the social amelioration program may start next week.
Belmonte said the local government already received from Department of Social Welfare and Development the names of 377,584 low-income individuals who are financially suffering due to the COVID-19 crisis.
“I got the list yesterday (Wednesday). Today I am going to be meeting [with] my punong barangays muna (my barangay captains first),” Belmonte told CNN Philippines.
She said the local government will validate and update the list before they proceed with the distribution.
“We need to validate if these poorest of the poor are still alive or living in QC… or still in the address given,” Belmonte explained.
In Navotas City, Mayor Toby Tiangco has yet to receive the names of beneficiaries from the DSWD.
Tiangco said he submitted around 49,000 forms to the department on Wednesday.
From those who submitted the forms, the DSWD is expected to choose 27,978 names who will receive the cash aid from the national government.
Social Welfare spokesperson Irene Dumlao told CNN Philippines on Wednesday that they aim to finish the distribution of the emergency aid before this weekend.
“Hindi ko alam kung paano nila nasabing madi-distribute within the weekend. Holy (Maundy) Thursday ngayon,” the Navotas City Mayor said. “Unless they will be working overtime so kailangan maibalik muna nila sa amin ang mga pangalan na pinili nila.”
[Translation: I do not know why they said they will distribute within the weekend. It’s Holy (Maundy) Thursday today. Unless they will be working overtime, they need to return to us the names they chose.]
“Tapos gagawin ng city hall, gagawan ng payroll ‘yun. Wala naman bangko ng Sabado’t Linggo,” he added.
[Then city hall will make a payroll. There are no banks from Saturday to Sunday.]
But he clarified the more than ₱223 million budget for the beneficiaries of the cash aid was already turned-over to the city.
Tiangco also raised the possible problem in distributing the cash aid since the city government may only withdraw a limited amount from their funds.
He said around 20 Navotas city hall officials are entitled to do a maximum of one million pesos cash advance at a given time.
“Assuming tama ako, na 20 times one million, 20 million lang ang maka-cash advance at one time. And each of them need to liquidate before makapag-cash advance sila ulit… So hindi ganon kabilis yan,” Tiangco explained.
[Translation: Assuming I’m right, 20 times one milion, we can only cash-advance 20 million at one time, and each of them need to liquidate before we can make another cash advance so it won’t be that quick.]
In Metro Manila, each beneficiary will receive as much as ₱8,000.
