Mayor Vico: Only 93k of 200k target beneficiaries will receive DSWD aid

Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto on Sunday said only 93,000 out of the over 200,000 beneficiaries that the local government has listed for the social amelioration program (SAP) were approved.

On Facebook Live, Vico said they listed 206,000 low-income households in Pasig, but the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) approved only 93,000 for the SAP.

"Ang pamilya na nangangailangan sa Pasig City, hindi nga lang po ‘yung original na 206,000, maaaring ang bilang na ito ay umabot 260,000,” he pointed out.

Because of this, Vico said the city government will shoulder the aid for those who will be excluded from the DSWD list, under the LGUs own supplemental social amelioration program.

DSWD’s COVID-19 aid aims to distribute up to P16, 000 in two months to 18 million low income families nationwide with a budget of P200 billion. The 18-million target beneficiary family was based on  the 2015 census.

Vico admitted that the LGU cannot provide the same amount that the DSWD has  set for the program. However, he said the the Pasig government will try to distribute at least P8,000  per household.

“Hindi sa halaga na P16,000 pero kung ano po ‘yung kaya natin. Sa ngayon po, ang nakikita na kaya po ng pamahalaan ay nasa P8,000,” Vico said.

He added that the LGU will have to realign some budget to allocate for this initiative, arguing that excluding some households in the program could create further tensions at the local level.

He pointed out that residents may accuse local officials of favoritism and corruption if they do not receive the expected help, but in  reality, the DSWD did not approve all target beneficiaries on the LGU list. —Joviland Rita/LBG, GMA News