Gov't will deliver aid to poor families in remote areas – DSWD
FUND DISTRIBUTION. Residents of Quezon City line up at Landbank COA on April 9, 2020, to withdraw the financial assistance from the government's emergency subsidy program. Photo by Darren Langit/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Monday, April 13, the government will work to make sure that beneficiaries of the government's emergency subsidy program (ESP) in far-flung areas will receive aid.
Bautista said that because local government units (LGUs) have a "master list," they should also have a process on how they would distribute aid to their constituents. He cited an example of prioritizing far-flung areas, but did not specify where exactly.
"Katulad sa mga ibang region, ang ginawa [ng LGU] ay inuna nila ang 'yung mga nasa kabundukan, 'yung mga island barangays, at mga [indigenous peoples] areas... Sabi nga natin, meron din silang ina-assess na mga sitwasyon – puwedeng security situation, maaaring accessibility sa mga gamit, transportasyon, lalo na kung kailangan tumawid sa mga island municipalities," said Bautista.
(Like in other regions, what the LGUs did was prioritize those who lived in the mountainous areas, the island barangays, and indigenous peoples areas... Like we said, they're also assessing situations – it may be security situations, accessibility of commodities, and transportation, especially if some cases require traveling to island municipalities.)
Bautista said that while the local governments should have their respective approaches, the national government would provide logistical assistance.
"Ganunpaman, magkakaroon ng delay pero sa pag-uusap naman niyan at pag-uugnayan ng mga different agencies, lalong-lalo na sa tulong ng AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines), PNP (Philippine National Police), and even [Philippine] Coast Guard... para magkaroon ng available assets para sa dagat man, or hopefully by air, maiabot natin 'yung ayuda sa target beneficiaries," he added.
(Nevertheless, there may be delays, but in the discussions and coordination among different agencies, especially with the help of the AFP, PNP, and even Philippine Coast Guard... we can secure available assets by sea, or hopefully by air, so that we can bring aid to the target beneficiaries.)
The emergency subsidy program (ESP) comes from the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, which mandates the government to give financial aid to 18 million poor and vulnerable families.
LGUs bearing the brunt
On April 6, the concern about reaching far-flung beneficiaries was raised in a Laging Handa briefing by Antique Representative Loren Legarda, who said that there are some communities that have to travel 5 to 7 hours from mountainous areas to be able to get to the urbanized areas and government offices.
Bautista also said the same thing then – that local governments should come up with a distribution scheme.
On April 9, he again tossed the ball to LGUs when he admitted "gaps and shortcomings" in the ESP's implementation – saying the DSWD expected LGUs to easily come up with "profiles" of their constituents.
Reports have surfaced that LGUs struggle to attend to their constituents when resources are limited and slow to arrive. (READ: Duterte chaos leaves barangay officials 'helpless' amid lockdown)
As of noon of April 13, the DSWD reported that 77,244 low-income families not included in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) from different regions have received aid amounting to more than P424 million.
4Ps beneficiaries earlier received their subsidies through their cash cards.
DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao earlier said there is an "indicative number of target beneficiaries" per locality. If families excluded from the list deem themselves eligible to receive the ESP, they can turn to their local governments or local social welfare offices to file an appeal.
The government allotted P200 billion for the program from April to May.
The Philippines is under a state of calamity due to the coronavirus outbreak. Luzon is under "enhanced community quarantine" until April 30, while other parts of the country have also implemented lockdowns to curb the spread of the virus.
As of April 13, confirmed coronavirus cases in the Philippines are at 4,932, with 315 deaths and 242 recoveries. – Rappler.com
