MANILA, Philippines — Senator Panfilo Lacson said Saturday that cash aid beneficiaries data should be sourced from the local government units (LGUs) since the list from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for the social amelioration program is not updated.
Lacson missed this statement after confusion marred the distribution of the financial subsidy for those who are most affected by the enhanced community quarantine because of discrepancies in the list of LGUs and DSWD.
“Mas maganda mula sa baba mag-submit ang LGU ng datos nila ilan ang dapat bigyan ng ayuda and then i-vet na lang sa agency ng national government ang listahan ng LGU,” the senator said over DWIZ.
(It’s better if the LGU will submit their data on cash aid beneficiaries then the agency of the national government will vet.)
“Kasi hindi updated ang datos ng DSWD, 2015 pa ‘yan, ang daming nagbago roon,” he added.
(Because the DSWD data is not updated, the data is from 2015, there have been many changes since then.)
If there are conflicts in the data submitted by LGUs, local chief executives should be punished or sanctioned.
“Parusahan nila kung hindi makatotohanan ang sinumite na datos ng mga dapat mag-benefit o maging recipient ng amelioration fund,” he said.
(They can punish local government officials if there are irregularities in the submitted data of those that should get the benefit or amelioration.)
Under the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act, some 18 million low-income households will receive P5,000 to P8,000, depending on the minimum wage rates in their respective regions, as financial assistance while the enhanced community quarantine is in effect.
The Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine was imposed to control the transmission of the novel coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2, which caused the highly contagious COVID-19. The strict quarantine effectively halted work in the region as mass transportation has been suspended, thus, leaving thousands without a livelihood.