DSWD-7 Regional Program Coordinator Maria Rosana Coritico (left) and Emma Patalinghug, chief of Protective Services Division of DWSD-7 provided an update on September 14 regarding the subsidy distribution for the affected micro rice retailers under the Executive Order 39. | CDN File Photo by Niña Mae Oliverio
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Only those, who are qualified beneficiaries, are eligible to receive the Sustainable Livelihood Program-Economic Relief Subsidy (SLP-ERS) on Thursday, September 14.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Central Visayas (DSWD-7) officials said on Wednesday that those qualified micro rice retailers listed by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) could have the P15,000 subsidy.
READ: Qualified rice retailers in CV to receive gov’t cash aid on September 14
“Ang atong i-accomodate during the payout kay only those na inform by the DTI nga mga retailers. Ang DTI provincial directors mao ang magpahibalo kung kinsa ni ang mga beneficiaries on the initial payout tomorrow,” said Emma Patalinghug, chief of Protective Services Division of DWSD-7.
(The ones that will be accommodated during the payout because only those retailers who were informed by the DTI. The DTI provincial directors will be the ones who will inform who are the beneficiaries on the initial payout tomorrow.)
Those who did not receive the invitation from DTI provincial directors, are not required to go since they could not receive money anyway.
She said that the first payout is intended only to the 87 beneficiaries in the region.
In Bohol, there are 6 beneficiaries, 17 in Cebu, 63 in Negros Oriental, and 1 in Siquijor.
For the record, based on the initial data provided by the DSWD-7, there were 69 beneficiaries in Negros, but upon checking, it was changed to 63 as of 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
In the payroll, DSWD has put the names of the beneficiaries together with the amount they would receive.
READ: Rice retailer: P15,000 subsidy may not be enough to some vendors
Authorization letter
In case that the qualified beneficiary could not go to the payout venue due to unprecedented circumstances, they would need to give an authorization letter to the person who would receive the cash on their behalf.
However, DSWD said they would not encourage it on the first payout on Thursday.
Patalinghug said she hoped that those who could not receive the cash personally would have valid reasons for their absence.
“Ang kining letter of authorization, naa ra ni siya within sa iyang anak, asawa, parents,” she said.
(This letter of authorization, it will only be within the child, wife or husband, parents.)
READ: Double-edged sword: The costs of controlling rice prices
She said that only those who have blood relations with the owner would be encouraged to have the authorization letter.
The authorized person would present their valid ID, the owner’s valid ID, and the letter with signature of the owner authorizing them to receive the cash assistance on their behalf.
The final venues for the first payout in other provinces are the following: Atrium, Tagbilaran City Hall in Bohol; Convention Center in Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, and Tigbawana, Lazi in Siquijor.
Meanwhile in Cebu, there are three venues: New Carbon Market in Cebu City, for Minglanilla it will be at the Mayor’s Office, and for Consolacion will be the Consolacion Public Market.
According to the DSWD-7 officials, the payout in other regions would start at 2 p.m.
In Carbon Market, it starts at 9 a.m. and in the afternoon, it will be in Minglanilla and Consolacion.
The region-wide activity will be conducted by the DTI, DSWD, Philippine National Police, and the Department of Interior and Local Government with the respective local government units.
READ: DTI chief: Rice price cap may be lifted in 2 weeks
Those who are not in the list
The DSWD has some reminders to those rice retailers who might go to the venues despite not being on the list.
She said that they had provided a grievance desk and the personnel from the DTI would manage it together with the DSWD.
“Kung duna sila’y mga pangutana, naa tay mga taga DTI during the payout nga mutubag sa ilang mga queries or unsa’y ila pang gustong pangutana nga related sa economic relief subsidy,” Coritico said.
(If they have questions, we have people from DTI during the payout who will answer their queries or what they will ask related to the economic relief subsidy.)
Regional Program Coordinator Maria Rosana Coritico said all the beneficiaries underwent profiling with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
The DTI is responsible for the identification and verification of the qualified beneficiaries while the DSWD is responsible for the distribution of the funds.
The DTI has provincial directors in every province in Central Visayas who would endorse the beneficiaries to the regional offices.
Subsequently, the regional offices would endorse them to the central offices.
READ: DTI-7 to focus on monitoring price cap on rice
DSWD assigned
Coritico said that the SLP of the DSWD became responsible for the distribution of funds because in SLP, they could provide assistance to the marginalized sector in the community.
“Ang kaning SLP, mohatag ta og ayuda sa atong mga poor, vulnerable, mga marginalized sector in which katong mga micro rice retailers nga gagmay ra ilang mga puhunan nga naapektuhan aning mandated price ceiling, ato ni silang gitagaan,” Coritico said.
(This SLP, we will give aid to the poor, vulnerable, the marginalized sector in which the micro rice retailers who only have a little capital that was affected by the mandated price ceiling, we will give them aid.)
She added that at least through SLP, the government could help the affected retailers from their losses because of Executive Order (EO) 39 of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
Under the EO, the mandated rice price ceiling for well-milled rice is P45 per kilo and for the regular-milled rice is P41 per kilo.
READ: Gov’t starts giving cash aid to small rice retailers
Amount to be disbursed, after distribution
Based on the data provided by the DSWD-7, the amount to be disbursed on the first payout are the following:
In Bohol, the amount is P90,000; P255,000 for Cebu; P945,000 for Negros Oriental; and P15,000 for Siquijor.
The total amount to be disbursed by the DSWD is P1,305,000.
Within seven days, they will have utilization monitoring activities and means of verification to check if the P15,000 subsidy was used properly.
Through monitoring and evaluation, they would also be able to identify if the rice retailers would still have losses or not.
Patalinghug said that they would report whether the cash assistance was enough.
“It can be a basis for another policy or another guideline kay (because) we have all this data to support nganong nabitabo na (why this happened),” she said.
As for the next schedule of payout, they are still waiting for the instructions from their central office, according to Patalinghug.
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