Gealon to Cebu City residents: Report brgy officials abusing power over SAP distribution

SAP distribution in Mandaue City. | Photo courtesy of the City Treasurer’s Office – Mandaue City

CEBU CITY, Philippines –Anomalies made during the distribution of cash assistance under the government’s Social Amelioration Program (SAP) should never be left unpunished.

Lawyer Rey Gealon, the head of the Cebu City Legal Office, is asking city residents to report to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) barangay officials and employees who benefited from the cash aid distribution.

Gealon said that the filing of charges against a Barangay Health Worker (BWH) from Cebu City should send a strong message to other government officials and employees against taking advance of government programs to enrich themselves.

The BHW was found to have included “unqualified in-laws” in the list of SAP beneficiaries.

Read: DILG: Cebu City BHW under fire over SAP anomaly

DILG earlier said that the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has already filed 12 criminal complaints against 23 village officials nationwide over the SAP distribution anomalies.

Gealon, the spokesperson for Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella, said that corrupt practices should never be tolerated while majority of the Cebuanos continue to suffer from the ill effects of the pandemic.

He said that barangay officials who include unqualified family members and in-laws in the list of SAP beneficiaries should not be allowed to go unpunished because they do not fully understand the purpose of their work, which is to deliver public service.

Gealon said that under the guidelines of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), SAP assistance should only be given to poor and low-income families. / dcb