CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Second District Representative Rodrigo “Bebot” Abellanosa has requested the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to be more transparent in the implementation of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) in the regions.
In his manifestation during the investigation on the implementation of the DSWD SAP conducted by the House Committee on Good Government, Abellanosa said that the distribution of SAP in Cebu City has been controversial.
“I would like manifest that over the past two months since the first tranche was released, I have been asking the DSWD regional office for information on the ongoing implementation and distribution of SAP as I have been receiving complaints sa online, sa text messages, I have been asking for information, but sad to say, because there have been allegations in the lack of transparency of the identification of the beneficiaries,” said the congressman.
Abellanosa laments how the Regional DSWD in Central Visayas (DSWD-7) has failed to provide a concrete list of the beneficiaries, claiming that the local government unit (LGU) is in charge of this list, despite them having the final approval of the beneficiaries.
The congressman noted that Cebuanos desperately need the SAP since it has been on lockdown for almost four months now, and unlike other areas that have slowly revived its economy, Cebu City has yet to recover.
“We happened to have the most number of beneficiaries. We are demanding for more transparency. We are using a new system, digitalizing the SAP delivery, pero ilang buwan na naghihintay pa rin ang mga tawo. Sa ibang lugar, GCQ na, but in our case, in Cebu City, we are still on hard lockdown. Cebu City badly needs this assistance, not next week, not next month, but right now,” he said.
“I’m asking DSWD, kailangan sila pupunta dito sa Cebu City?” he added. (When are they coming to Cebu City?)
For Abellanosa, accountability is an integral part in the operations of the government agencies amidst the pandemic. The performance of DSWD-7 “barely gets a passing mark” and should be evaluated by the national agency.
He urges the DSWD to look into the alleged padrino system, or patronage in Filipino culture and politics, in the distribution of SAP in the barangays, the strict requirements in the availment of the SAP, and the distribution of the SAP to unqualified beneficiaries.
DSWD Secretary Rolando Joselito Bautista said he will direct the concerns of the congressman to the regional director in DSWD-7 and ordered the regional office to look into the situation in Cebu City and furnish the list of beneficiaries.
“Ipa prayoridad po natin ang Cebu City sa paghatid ng mga ayuda at ng mga family food packs,” said Bautista. (We will prioritze the sending of aid and family food packs to Cebu City.)
The regional office has also promised that they will sit down next week with money transfer companies for the immediate distribution 2nd tranche of the SAP. /bmjo