DSWD says it has distributed P63.2B under social amelioration 2nd tranche

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has distributed around P63.2 billion under the second tranche of the government’s Social Amelioration Program amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Interviewed on Dobol B sa News TV on Wednesday, DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao said the amount was distributed to more than 9.7 million beneficiaries of the program.

"That is actually 69.2% ng ating accomplishment," Dumlao said, despite the challenges the agency encountered in the distribution, including limitations in their mobility for beneficiaries in far areas.

Dumlao said there are now more than 3.2 million "waitlisted" families, or those who were not included in the distribution during the first tranche but were added in the second tranche.

She said the DSWD has continued to coordinate with financial service providers such as banks and electronic money issuers for faster distribution.

Regarding delays in the distribution of the aid, as the DSWD previously admitted, Dumlao said the agency has conducted name-matching of beneficiaries from data bases of other government agencies also implementing the program.

"Hindi lang po 'yung head of the family ang nine-name match natin. Kasama po 'yung other family members dahil because there's a possibility that other family members have also received aid mula sa ibang agencies of the government," she said.

Through their validation process, the DSWD also found more than 200,000 families ineligible for the program, or those unqualified but still received aid.

Nakasaad po sa ating memorandum of agreement with the local government units na kung sila po ay nagbigay ng ayuda sa mga hindi naman kwalipikado, sila po ay magiging accountable at kinakailangang ibalik po nila the amount released sa mga beneficiaries who are ineligible," the DSWD spokesperson said.

The government's Social Amelioration Program aims to give emergency cash subsidy of P5,000 to P8,000 for two months to low-income families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. —KG, GMA News