MANILA, Philippines — The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease on Tuesday said complaints and concerns regarding the government’s cash assistance program must be forwarded to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) instead social media.
This way, their concerns will be addressed accordingly, IATF spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Tuesday.
“Kung meron po kayong gustong i-appeal sa DSWD, wag po kayo pumunta sa Facebook or sa Twitter or sa social media or sa Facetime or sa kung saan saan kasi hindi makakarating yan at hindi po yan yung proseso,” Nograles said.
(If you have an appeal to the DSWD, let’s not air it over Facebook, Twitter, Facetime or any social media platforms because it will not reach them , and that is not the right process.)
“May appeals system po tayo. May mekanismo po tayo, yun ang gamitin natin,” he noted.
(We have an appeals system. We have a mechanism for that, let’s use that.)
Several local governments took to social media to lament the “quota system” supposedly being imposed in the distribution of the social amelioration funds for low-income households.
Each city or municipality will be given a fixed amount from the P200-billion fund under the quota system, local officials said.
“We have an appeals system in place na you can refer to or you can go to appeal to the DSWD and the national government kung meron bang mga sa palagay ninyo na hindi naisama na kailangan isama dahil sila naman ay qualified,” Nograles said.
(We have an appeals system in place and you can refer to or you can go to appeal to the DSWD and the national government if there are people who should be included but are not qualified.)
The government has set aside P200 billion cash aid to be distributed to about 18 million low-income families.
The amount, ranging from P5,000 to P8,000, to be distributed to the beneficiaries will depend on the minimum wage in their respective regions.