DILG orders police stations to deploy men in remittance centers

August 11, 2020

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Tuesday directed all police stations to deploy men in remittance centers distributing the second tranche of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP 2) to ensure social distancing, mandatory use of face masks, and implementation of minimum health standards.

Interior Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said Interior Secretary Eduardo Año gave the directive to Joint Task Force COVID Shield.

“Our field offices have monitored long lines in some remittance centers, we advise them to practice social distancing at all times to protect themselves and their families. We are also urging the barangays to assign barangay tanods to remind the public of the minimum health standards together with the PNP,” he said.

Malaya also encouraged the SAP 2 beneficiaries to maximize the use of cashless transactions since financial service provider (FSP) platforms like GCash and PayMaya, through their mobile applications, can be used to purchase products.

He added if  beneficiaries will insist on getting their assistance in cash “they must still practice physical distancing together with other minimum health standards to avoid transmission of COVID-19.”

Among other minimum health protocols imposed in the COVID-19 crisis are mandatory wearing of face masks; physical distancing; and, constant washing of hands or use of alcohol or sanitizer.

He said the DILG has directed the Pulis sa Barangay or Quarantine Rules Supervisor, the PNP’s COVID-19 focal person in the community, to supervise all barangay tanods to be deployed in remittance centers to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

Based on reports from the DILG’s field offices, more than a million original and wait listed family beneficiaries nationwide have received their emergency subsidy through electronic means via the Department of the Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), local government units (LGUs) and the FSPs.

Distribution of cash aid is being done daily, said Malaya.

Malaya said with lessons learned from the distribution of the first tranche of SAP, the government, through the DSWD, devised strategies such as the use of FSPs to speed up giving the second tranche of cash aid.

“We are expecting a less tedious distribution of SAP this time around because of the changes that we instituted this time around,” he said.

Leading the most wait listed beneficiaries are those in Central Luzon with 156, 842 followed by Soccsksargen with 130,551; Western Visayas with 99,954; 99,606 for Northern Mindanao; and National Capital Region (NCR) with 71,701.

On the other hand, Caraga tallied a total number of 43,416 wait-listed families; Bicol with 34,246; Central Visayas with 32,431; Ilocos with 21,577; Cagayan Valley with 16,087; Cordillera Administrative Region with 10,215; Calabarzon with 9,722; Eastern Visayas with 4,005; and Zamboanga Peninsula with 57.

Meanwhile, 430,445 original beneficiaries from six regions previously under enhanced community quarantine have also received the second tranche of financial aid, according to Año.

Only limited regions of the country previously under ECQ are entitled to a second tranche of the SAP.

He said 201,983 of the original beneficiaries from Iloilo Province and Bacolod have received their second tranche of the SAP.

In Benguet, a total of 100,646 were benefitted followed by Albay with 93,527; Calabarzon with 18,038; Cebu province with 12,951; and, Pangasinan with 3,300.  Ella Dionisio/DMS