SAP funds eyed for other projects

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said that it plans to use unutilized funds from the social amelioration program (SAP) to fund the agency’s livelihood assistance grant even after senators said the SAP was meant for a specific purpose.

Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista said in a virtual briefing on Thursday that the agency met with economic managers to seek “guidance” and request the repurpose of the unused cash aid funds for the livelihood program instead.

During a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Bautista said that he was considering returning the unused funds to the national treasury. This left some senators wondering why the DSWD withheld the release of P10 billion worth of cash aid when some mayors have complained that their constituents have yet to receive the second tranche of the welfare assistance.

Livelihood grant

“The DSWD is an agency pushing for transparency and accountability. We are committed to using the SAP funds until the last cent for our countrymen who were affected by the pandemic,” Bautista said, suggesting that the fund be used for livelihood assistance grants that would provide seed capital for indigents affected by quarantine protocols.

Bautista further explained that the agency has yet to declare savings since the distribution of SAP was still ongoing. He added that there has been a projected unutilized funds due to the number of beneficiaries.

The DSWD recalibrated its target for the second wave to accommodate some 5 million more beneficiaries but the number submitted by local governments was only 3.3 million, said Bautista.