BENEFICIARIES of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) are limited to Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) recipients and low-income families in the Cordillera region affected by Covid–19, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development–Cordillera (DSWD –CAR).
Leo Quintilla, DSWD–CAR regional director pointed out only low-income families belonging to the informal sector are qualified to receive an emergency cash subsidy of P5,500 in the Cordillera under the Social Amelioration Program of the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act.
“For those who may want to qualify for SAP as recipients, the requirements for a potential qualified family is for them to show a government-issued identification card. If you are a senior citizen, show your senior citizen ID, if you are a solo parent then show your ID. The bottom line, if you do not have any IDs, go to your barangays and ask for ID or secure a barangay certification,” Quintilla said.
The DSWD reiterated eligible for SAP are the poorest of the poor or those under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), those considered as vulnerable groups or those poor family having persons with disabilities, senior citizens, solo parents, those identified as informal sectors or those who have lost income or jobs due to the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
“Last week, DSWD–CAR received proposals from the different local government units and we will continue to download from our LGU’s their allocations for SAP. President Rodrigo Duterte said not all will be able to receive and that government will prioritize the poorest of the poor,” Quintilla added stated.
On April 3, DSWD started distributing the emergency cash subsidy to beneficiaries of 4Ps beneficiaries in Regions I, II, III, Calabarzon and NCR, CAR, and BARMM identified as cash card holders, to be followed by other regions.
Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong earlier explained 4Ps beneficiaries will not receive the entire amount of emergency cash subsidy as allocated for the region, as this cash grant will only be given as an additional to what they will already receive under the conditional cash transfer program.
“As of April 7, we have already approved P862 million worth of funds from the request of the LGU’s out of the P1.3 billion budget for the Cordillera Region,” the DSWD official added.
Quintilla said 50 percent is ready for download to LGUs with Baguio City starting the pay-out April 8 while the Municipality of Sablan has been approved for pay-out.
“Other requests are undergoing the process of transfer of funds,” Quintilla explained.
Beneficiaries of 4Ps need not fill out a social amelioration card form, which is used to identify eligible beneficiaries of the emergency cash subsidy, as they are already included in the list of the recipients.