A day after SAP deadline, only 89% of beneficiaries got aid — DSWD

MANILA, Philippines – Thousands of people have yet to receive their COVID-19 financial aid a day after the deadline, as 16.1 million out of the 18 million social amelioration program (SAP) beneficiaries — or 89.42 percent — have been served.

This was according to data provided to reporters on Monday by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the lead agency for the social aid distribution.

DSWD Spokesperson Irene Dumlao said that this means P90.56 billion of the initial P100 billion funds for people affected by the COVID-19 lockdowns have been released to recipients.

“As of 12 noon today, 16.1M beneficiaries or 89.42% of the total beneficiaries have been served,” Dumlao said.  “Total amount disbursed as of 12 noon is P90.56B.”

The incompletion of the SAP distribution means that some local government units (LGUs) have yet to fully disburse the financial grants to people, despite the extended deadline on May 10.  It was originally slated to end last April 30, but several LGUs, especially in Metro Manila, has yet to complete the distribution process.

At least 18 million families are expected to receive aid, according to Republic Act No. 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act, which mandated the payouts.  People may receive around P5,000 to P8,000 depending on the minimum wage in their respective regions.

Earlier, Interior Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said that the distribution would no longer be extended, as 1,265 LGUs have already distributed the emergency subsidy.

However, Dumlao said that only 1,008 LGUs have fully completed the disbursements, with only Bicol Region and Caraga having a 100% payout.

After the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) over Luzon and other areas was implemented, work except for frontline services was suspended.  However, this has left workers who rely on daily earnings and those whose jobs cannot adjust to a work-from-home setup without income through the lockdown.

The Luzon-wide ECQ was placed last March 16 and ended last April 30.  However, areas with high rates of coronavirus transmissions were still under an ECQ, while the rest was placed under a GCQ.

The Department of Health said on Monday that there are now 11,086 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 726 casualties and 1,999 recoveries.  Worldwide, over 4.102 million persons have been infected, 282,709 of which have died while 1.408 million have recovered.

READ: COVID-19 cases in PH surpass 11,000; recoveries near 2,000