THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will provide social amelioration measures amounting to P5,000 to P8,000 for two months to families belonging to vulnerable sectors who have been affected by the community quarantine amid the Covid-19 crisis as mandated by Republic Act (RA) 11469 or the “Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.”
The Emergency Subsidy Program includes the DSWD's provision of food and non-food items (FNFI) and financial assistance through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), as well as those provided by other agencies, provided that the benefits received by each household does not exceed the prescribed threshold per region.
The P5,000 to P8,000 worth of social amelioration programs is based on the maximum subsidy per region determined from the region's minimum wage levels as these are close approximations to the amount needed to buy basic food, medicine, and hygiene essentials. It will be given to an eligible family in cash and in kind by various national government agencies.
The provision of FNFI is part of the Department’s Technical Assistance and Resource Augmentation (Tara) to local government units (LGUs) in addressing the food needs of their constituents. AICS, on the other hand, provides integrated services to individuals and families in crisis situation which include financial assistance to assist them with their basic needs.
Likewise, Livelihood Assistance Grants (LAG) will be provided to a beneficiary-family of the Department’s Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) with at least one member who is a worker in the informal sector and is displaced due to the declaration of the community quarantine. The family must be in the master list endorsed by the LGU to the DSWD Field Office (FO) and must still undergo assessment by a DSWD staff. The LAG will be given after the quarantine period has been lifted to help the families start anew.
The local government units will prepare the list of the target beneficiaries of the social amelioration measures and endorse this with the complete documentary requirements to the concerned DSWD field office for verification. (PR)