Beneficiaries troop to remittance centers for digital distribution of COVID-19 cash aid

Beneficiaries of the second tranche of the government’s social amelioration program (SAP) amid the COVID-19 pandemic trooped to money remittance centers early Monday morning to get the cash assistance.

In a report on Unang Balita, GMA’s Mai Bermudez said as early as 7 a.m., a long line of people can already be seen in front of a remittance center in Monumento, Caloocan City despite the bad weather.

The report said since there is no public transportation available, most of the beneficiaries walked their way to the remittance center.

Madaling araw pa lang, matiyaga nang pumila sa money remittance center na ito sa Caloocan City ang mga benepisaryo ng una at ikalawang bugso ng SAP @gmanews pic.twitter.com/KVDqFww2k1

— Mai Bermudez (@MaiBermudezGMA) August 9, 2020

Meanwhile, in Marikina City, SuperRadyo dzBB’s Mark Makalalad said police had to intervene to put order in the line of beneficiaries in front of a remittance center.

Mga pulis, rumesponde na rin para ayusin ang pila sa pamamahagi ng ayuda sa isang remittance center sa Marikina pic.twitter.com/Su23sEtm70

— Mark Makalalad (@MMakalalad) August 10, 2020

The Department of the Interior and Local Government earlier said the digital distribution of the second tranche of cash assistance through financial service providers (FSPs) in the National Capital Region (NCR) is in full swing.

In the previous months, beneficiaries personally get the cash assistance from their barangay officials.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said as of August 7, SAP 2 financial assistance has so far been disbursed to 71,701 waitlisted family beneficiaries from NCR.

He also said that digital disbursement to some 1,553,052 original family beneficiaries have started in the pilot cities of Caloocan, Makati, Pasig, and Quezon City.

The digital distribution is expected to be completed by August 15.

Waitlisted family beneficiaries are to receive P16,000 corresponding to 2 tranches of the SAP while original family beneficiaries who already received their first tranche last April-May will receive their second tranche of P8,000.

The beneficiaries  of 4Ps will also receive their 2nd tranche of P8,000. —AOL/KG, GMA News