MANILA, Philippines — Families in Cavite could get P2,500 each under the province’s P3.2 billion budget for social amelioration program (SAP) if the amount will be distributed equally per household, Governor Jonvic Remulla said Monday.
“There are approximately 1.3 million households in Cavite. Ang nais ko sana ay mabigyan natin ng ayudang patas ang bawat pamilya. Sa P3.2B ay kaya ang hanggang P2,500 per family,” he said in a Facebook post.
(There are approximately 1.3 million households in Cavite. What I want is that each family will be given equal aid. Each family can receive P2,500 under the P3.2 billion budget.)
Remulla earlier said that the distribution of assistance of residents affected by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) is a “disaster in the making” due to the supposed lack of enough mechanism to verify beneficiaries.
Under the guidelines from the national government, some 22.9 million beneficiaries in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite and Laguna are expected to receive at least P1,000 worth of assistance each, either in cash or in-kind. However, no family must be given more than P4,000.
Remulla, however, earlier said that “everyone wants cash” and “everyone is demanding the [P4,000] maximum per household.”
He also cited certain issues on the system of distribution of assistance.
“Are the middle-class families living in the over 2,000 subdivisions disqualified again?” he asked.
The governor also noted that the budget allocation from the national government is based on the 2010 census. He said that in this census, Cavite’s population was at 3.2 million but now, there are approximately 4.2 million citizens.
“The current allocation gives very little flexibility on how to serve the people most equitably,” he added.
Remulla also said that an equal allocation of aid per household will prevent mistakes in the distribution.
“By doing so, maiiwasan ang mali kung gagawin nating patas ang sistema; walang inggitan at reklamo sa mga hindi maaabutan; ang middle class na laging nakakalimutan ay tiyak protektado at garantisado,” he said.
(By doing so, we will prevent mistakes if the system will be fair; there will be no complaints on those who did not receive aid, and; the middle class who are always being forgotten will surely be protected and guaranteed to receive aid.)