THE Philippine National Police (PNP) Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has filed charges against 157 local officials and launched investigations against over 700 others accused of anomalies in the distribution of the first tranche of the social amelioration program (SAP) cash assistance.
Brigadier General Rhoderick Armamento, CIDG deputy director for administration, said the charges included graft and corruption, violation of the code of conduct and ethical standards against public officials and employees, malversation of public funds and falsification of public documents against the 157 officials.
“Karamihan po ng ating complaint na natanggap ay ‘yung splitting kung saan sinasabi ng mga ng nagrereklamo ay P6,500 ang kanilag pinirmahan pero ang natanggap lang nilang pera ay P3,000 at ‘yung P3,500 ay diumano ay ilalaan sa ilang pamilya na hindi nakatanggap ng subsidy,” said Armamento.
Those under investigation include a mayor, 136 barangay chairpersons, four municipal councilors, six Sangguniang Kabataan chairpersons and 445 barangay personnel.
Armamento said the municipal mayor, who is from Eastern Visayas, was accused by a barangay chairman of pocketing at least P300,000 from the SAP funds.
“Right now ongoing pa rin ang investigation. Ang complainant ay mismong barangay chairman. According to him sya ‘yung responsable para hindi maibigay ang kaukulang subsidy para sa kanyang mga kabaranggay,” said Armamento.
He said Soccsksargen has the most number of complaints against barangay officials with 50 cases followed by Central Visayas at 26 and Davao and Eastern Visayas regions with 19 each.
Republic Act No. 11469, or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, allotted cash subsidy of P5,000 to P8,000 to each low-income family for two months depending on the minimum wage of the particular region to provide for their basic needs during the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
For the second tranche, there are 12 to 18 million beneficiaries in the National Capital Region, Central Luzon (except Aurora), Calabarzon, Benguet, Pangasinan, Iloilo Province, Cebu Province, Bacolod, Davao City, Albay Province, and Zamboanga City, the areas which remained under ECQ in May.
To avoid such anomalies from happening again, President Rodrigo Duterte has tapped the police and the military to provide assistance in the distribution of the second tranche of SAP. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo/SunStar Philippines)