Sotto wants names of COVID-19 cash grant beneficiaries published

Senate President Vicente Sotto III is calling for the publication of the names of individuals who have benefited from the emergency cash subsidies distributed by the government under its social amelioration program (SAP), for the sake of transparency.

In a statement, Sotto said there were complaints from low-income workers and members of vulnerable sectors regarding the distribution of the P5,000 to P8,000 emergency cash subsidy.

“Marami tayong naririnig na reklamo na hindi umano natanggap ng mga taong dapat ay kwalipikadong makakuha ng cash assistance na pinayagan ng Kongreso sa ilalim ng Bayanihan Act," he said.

"Kaya ang tanong natin ngayon, sino-sino na ba ang nabigyan ng gobyerno? Bakit marami ang nagrereklamong hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa nila nakukuha ang ayuda na nakasaad sa batas?” he added.

Sotto said the Department of Social Welfare and Development should upload on its website the names of those who have already received the cash grant as well as the areas already covered since the distribution of the money began.

This disclosure, he added, will assure the public the money has indeed been distributed and received by the intended beneficiaries.

“The DSWD has the masterlist of those who have already benefited from the SAP. It should make public the names of the recipients for the sake of transparency,” Sotto said.

Sotto pointed out that in President Rodrigo Duterte's third weekly report to Congress, it was mentioned that the DSWD only disbursed P80 billion of the P100 billion allotted for SAP for April, lacking details related to the distribution of the said assistance such as the total number of recipients, areas distributed and the breakdown of the amounts given to recipient barangays or local government units.

“Nakukulangan ako sa report, hindi kumpleto. Kailangang  malinaw sa aming mga mambabatas at sa publiko kung paano ibinahagi itong perang ito. Kulang sa detalye ang ipinasang report sa Kongreso,” he said.

Public disclosure of the names will also allow lawmakers to identify loopholes or errors in the distribution system of the DSWD as well as abuses of local and national social welfare executives in charge, if there are any, Sotto pointed out.

"We should all work together to ensure that the government is not hoodwinked by abusive leaders,” he added. —Erwin Colcol/LBG, GMA News