MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday during his taped briefing that he had taken away from a city, which he did not identify, the “power to distribute” cash aid to its constituents due to its mayor’s inability to organize.
He said he had assigned the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to take over the cash assistance distribution in that city.
“There’s one city here where I ordered the DILG and the DSWD to take over the distribution of cash aid and other assistance from the national government to the LGU that does not know how to organize its distribution,” Duterte said in Filipino.
“It only results in disorder. So I took it [the responsibility] away from them [city officials] and gave it to the DILG and DSWD. You take over until they learn. This mayor knows nothing at all,” he added.
“There is one city that I will not give the power to distribute the aid,” he said again. “In so many instances, they cannot organize. It has happened several times and several times he has blamed other people other than himself.”
The distribution of cash assistance to low-income households in Metro Manila, which is under enhanced community quarantine until Aug. 20, will begin on Wednesday, Aug. 11.
A total of P10.98 billion in cash will be distributed to over 10 million low-income Filipinos in Metro Manila.