DILG won’t extend deadline to distribute cash aid

MANILA, Philippines — Local government officials would no longer be given another extension after the May 7 deadline to distribute cash assistance to 18 million poor and low-income households under the social amelioration program (SAP), according to Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya.

Malaya said he expected the distribution rate to reach 70 percent by Sunday.

The cash assistance, which ranges from P5,000 to P8,000, depending on the prevailing minimum wage rates in the region, is intended to tide the families over during the enhanced community quarantine.

Aside from the 18 million households, another 5 million families would also get the cash assistance under the SAP, said presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.

Roque said the 5 million families would be included in the first tranche of the SAP cash aid.

“This would be implemented because the President knows how hard life is under the [enhanced community quarantine],” he said at the televised Laging Handa briefing.

Malaya, speaking in the same briefing, said local government units were now scrambling to complete the distribution of the P5,000 to P8,000 cash aid.

“The [Department of the Interior and Local Government] is urging all local government units to take this seriously, and to keep on distributing the money because [Interior] Secretary Eduardo Año and [Social Welfare] Secretary Rolly Bautista would no longer give an extension,” he said.

The earlier April 30 deadline was moved to May 7.

—LEILA B. SALAVERRIA