KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews / 29 June) – At least 2,000 families in Makilala, North Cotabato have yet to receive the P5,000 cash assistance each from the government’s Social Amelioration Program (SAP) due to “some technicalities,” an official said.
The SAP is the national government’s emergency subsidy to help low-income families adversely affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.
Lina Canedo, Makilala social welfare officer, said the Department of Social Welfare and Development – Region 12 (DSWD-12) has yet to get the master list of the beneficiaries from their head office in Manila.
Canedo said the DSWD head office is still conducting a cross-matching of the beneficiaries to avoid duplication.
The cash assistance was supposed to be given starting June 26 to the beneficiaries who were left out during the distribution in May.
Those who were left out have applied for the COVID-19 Intake Card (CIC), which the local government submitted to DSWD-12 and then forwarded to the head office, according to Canedo.
“Based on our records, we submitted to DSWD-12 a list of 2,035 CIC holders. But we were told that four of them were deleted from the list. As to who those people are, we don’t know,” she said.
The CIC fund for Makilala amounts to P10.1 million, Canedo said.
Once the master list is approved, the cash distribution will be handled by paymasters who are either soldiers or police personnel, she said.
Canedo urged the beneficiaries to get the cash assistance personally.