IATF to LGUs: No liquidation report, no additional cash aid funds

MANILA, Philippines — Local government units (LGUs) will not be given the second round of the government’s social amelioration program amid the COVID-19 crisis without the proper liquidation report of the funds initially released to them.

“No additional funds will be given to the LGU unless makapagsubmit po siya ng liquidation report,” Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, spokesman of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging and Infectious Disease, said in a virtual press briefing Monday.

The government has set aside P200 billion worth of cash aid to be distributed to about 18 million low-income households, half of which has already been disbursed and are currently being distributed.

READ: DSWD says P100B ready for release; poorest first

The beneficiaries are to receive subsidies of P5,000 to P8,000 per household monthly for two months.

Nograles likewise reminded LGUs to follow the guidelines for the cash aid  since the funds will be audited afterwards.

LGUs will have to pay for the cash aid from the social amelioration program they gave away to unqualified beneficiaries, he added.

To date, the Palace official said that “about 50 percent” of the first tranche of the cash aid has already been distributed to beneficiaries, citing data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

“Pagdating naman po sa ating Social Amelioration Program, ayon po kay DSWD Sec. Rolando Bautista, meron na pong nai-release na more than 323 million pesos for 14,418 beneficiaries na bahagi sa mga tsuper at transport groups dito po sa NCR,” Nograles said.

Nakapag-transfer na rin po ng 43 billion pesos sa ating mga LGUs, at sa BARMM nakapag-release na rin po tayo ng 800 million pesos,” he added.