President Rodrigo Duterte says the government will go after opportunists who took advantage of the social amelioration fund. | screen grab from SONA
CEBU CITY, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte vowed to go after individuals, including local officials, who took advantage of the national government’s emergency cash aid for the underprivileged.
The President, during this 5th State of the Nation Address (SONA), warned that the government would ‘catch up with opportunists’ on the Special Amelioration Program (SAP).
“Admittedly, our implementation of SAP was not perfect and some opportunists turned crisis into opportunity. We will catch up with you sooner than you think,” President Duterte said.
SAP, spearheaded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), provides cash aid to the ‘poorest of the poor’ in the country suffering from the economic impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Each qualified beneficiary was entitled to receive P6,000 of financial assistance.
However, its implementation has been plagued with controversies which include allegations of local public officials diverting a portion of the funds. /dbs