Carbon Public Market vendors gather a few hours before the implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in Cebu City in this March 28, 2020 file photo.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Special Amelioration Program (SAP) of President Rodrigo Duterte aims to provide all low-income household with financial assistance to help them get through during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
But there are many questions surrounding the implementation of the said program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
One is who can avail the P6,000 financial assistance in Cebu City?
DSWD Central Visayas (DSWD-7) assistant director Shalaine Lucero reported to the Cebu City Council the guidelines of the SAP that the LGU must familiarize when they begin to identify the beneficiaries.
Lucero said that there are at least 149, 514 low income and informal economy settlers in Cebu City who are qualified to receive the SAP.
A total of 10,032 families have already been enrolled in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) while at least 16,508 have been enrolled in the “Listahan ng mahihirap” of DSWD.
The 4Ps and Listahan beneficiaries will receive their SAP directly into their DSWD cash cards.
With this, the barangays will only need to identify 122, 974 informal economy settlers in their jurisdiction.
Lucero said barangays can begin doing so by identifying drivers associations of jeepneys, tricycles, motorcycle taxis or habal-habal, and taxicabs.
“These associations most likely have a list. Drivers have lost income these days because of the lockdown and suspension of public transport,” she said.
The DSWD-7 also said that if Cebu City will “stick” to the definitions brought by the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act on the beneficiaries of the SAP, the P836 million for the city’s poorest residents will be enough.
One household is equal to one family, so if there are three families living in one house, each family will receive P6,000.
Lucero urged the barangays to prioritize the households with lower than P22,000 annual income, especially those who lost their sources of income due to the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). /bmjo