Arriving  at a consensus  during a  short meeting, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rolando Bautista and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año have given local government units (LGUs), which have yet to complete the distribution of the emergency subsidy under the Social Amelioration Program (SAP), another three days or until May 10 to finish this.

The extension was announced on May 7, 2020, which was earlier set as the second deadline, by the DILG to give more time to LGUs facing difficulty in the distribution of the cash aid, especially in densely-populated areas.

In a virtual presser on May 7, 2020, DSWD expressed confidence that LGUs will exert their best efforts to complete the distribution of the SAP on the set extension date as they also put premium on the welfare and well-being of their people during these critical times.

In the DSWD report delivered by Undersecretary Rene Glen Paje during the presser,  some 637 out of 1,632 LGUs have completed the distribution of SAP to their constituents.

As of May 6, 2020 more than P75.2 Billion have been distributed to 13.6 Million families covered by SAP. Of the amount P16.3 Billion were given to over 3.7 million beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) with cash cards; P492.3 Million to 126,330 4Ps beneficiaries without cash cards;  P58 Billion to more than 9.8 million low income, non-4Ps beneficiaries, and P323.3 million to 40,418 families of  drivers of Transport Network Vehicle Service (TNVS) and Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs) in NCR.

DSWD further reported that 58 LGUs have submitted complete liquidation reports, wherein DSWD may then conduct validation in these LGUs within 15 days from receipt of the documents to determine the eligibility of the beneficiaries and to check for  cases of duplication in the receipt

The DSWD continues to work hand in hand with the DILG to ensure the smooth distribution of the emergency subsidy to the rightful beneficiaries at the same time adhering to existing health and safety protocols amid this ongoing public health emergency.   ###