59,396 4Ps beneficiaries in CAR to receive SAP emergency subsidy

April 12, 2020 Metro BLISTT

BAGUIO CITY –A total of 59,396 beneficiaries under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) will receive emergency subsidy under the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) Bayanihan Fund: Tulong Laban sa COVID-19, the social welfare department reported on Wednesday, April 8, 2020.
The number includes 2,299 validated household beneficiaries who are members of the Indigenous Peoples and who will receive amelioration through Modified Conditional Cash Transfer, the report said.
The report also said that 57,097 of the total number of beneficiaries include those living in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, validated through Listahanan or the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR), and who will
receive amelioration through Regular Conditional Cash Transfer.
4Ps beneficiaries who are holding Euro Master Visa (EMV) cash cards have already started receiving emergency subsidy on Monday, April 6, 2020. Beneficiaries will receive PhP4,150 on top of their regular monthly health grant (PhP750) and rice subsidy (Php600) or a
total emergency cash subsidy of Php5,500.
The regular grant amounting to PhP1,350 will be given in April, during the regular payout for the period February to March 2020.
The department is encouraging all beneficiaries who are not yet holders of EMV cash cards or who did not yet receive cash assistance to coordinate with their municipal links.
Earlier, DSWD-CAR OIC regional director Leo Quintilla in a meeting with the Association of Barangay Captains (ABCs) here on Friday, April 3, said that Php200B was allocated for the social welfare department to fund 18m families targeted nationwide.
In the region, Php1.3B was allocated, for a target of around 300k families.
In Baguio, around Php247M was allocated, targeting around 45k families, to mitigate the impact of ECQ and Covid-19.
Quintilla explained and clarified points contained in the Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1 series of 2020 entitled Special Guidelines on the Provision of Social Amelioration Measures by the DSWD, DOLE, DTI, DA, DOF, DBM, and the DILG to the most affected residents of the areas under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).
Quintilla reminded barangay officials of the urgency to implement the program as the ECQ is already entering its fourth week, and many Filipinos who are affected the most may already be experiencing tremendous difficulties.
‘This is a unique disaster that we have never experienced. This one is different, we don’t know our enemy,” Quintilla said.
He urged the officials to implement the program correctly and to account all transactions to the last centavo, as “heads will roll” to any form of corruption in the implementation.
“Malaking trabaho ang social amelioration but because we are in public service, we have to do our job, we have to do our task. Ito po ay ating sinumpaan, COVID man yan, bagyo man yan, we have to perform,” Quintilla said.
Contributed Article