House set to probe first tranche of SAP distribution

Solons led by Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano have filed a resolution to investigate the confusion and delays on the distribution of the first tranche of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) social amelioration program (SAP).

House Resolution 973 also called for the development of better methods for the distribution of the second tranche of cash assistance to qualified families.

“There is no question that we are here to support the efforts of those agencies tasked to implement the program. But we also have to do what is right and demand accountability for the failures and delays that have plagued the distribution from the start,” said Cayetano.

The resolution said that the “inexcusable” delay in the distribution was “contrary to the general principle espoused by President Rodrigo Duterte that the most vulnerable Filipinos should get the resources at the fastest possible time with the least number of requirements and regulations.”

The House will be looking into the DSWD’s reportedly lengthy and complicated procedure for distribution of the SAP benefit. The resolution said the procedure requires “a total of thirty (30) steps and five (5) layers of approval, with an estimated completion time of three (3) weeks.”

The “Bayanihan to Heal as One Act” provided an emergency subsidy of P5,000-P8,000 per qualified person each month for two months, to help a total of 18 million low income households.

The distribution for the month of April was finished in May. The distribution for the second tranche has yet to start.

The Resolution also enumerates a number of issues and concerns which may have caused the DSWD to miss several critical distribution deadlines and delayed the release of the second tranche of aid for beneficiaries intended for May to June.

“The DSWD arbitrarily and without consultations with the LGUs, based the number of recipients on the 2015 national census, slightly adjusted upwards. Five years have passed and certainly the population has increased since, and thus the estimate proved inadequate,” the resolution read.

Cayetano earlier pointed out several problems in the process used by the DSWD.

“Because of the restrictive numbers of recipients proposed by DSWD, many of the LGUs have been in a quandary to identify whom to prioritize among their constituents since their expectation is to be able to give aid to 3 out of 4 families, even as some of our citizens expected that everyone will be receiving some sort of assistance from the Government,” he said

The inquiry will also look into other assistance programs of the DSWD aside from the SAP that dealt with the effects of COVID-19.

“The pandemic and its aftermath forces all of us to re-examine the way we do things. Especially in government where the bureaucracy can sometimes get in the way of helping the people. May mga tama at maling pamamaraan sa pagtulong sa ating mga kababayan. Dapat tignan natin kung paano mai-improve, hindi lang ung SAP, kundi pati ang 4Ps, at mga assistance sa mga biktima ng sakuna,” added Cayetano.

(There are right and wrong ways in helping our fellows. We should look at how it can be improved, not only the SAP, but also the 4Ps and assistance to victims of disasters.)