Distribution of 2nd tranche of cash aid in full swing – DILG

August 9, 2020

Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año on Saturday said the digital distribution of the second tranche of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP 2) through financial service providers (FSPs) in the National Capital Region (NCR) is in full swing and is expected to be completed by middle of this month.

The official said a total of 2,675,610 family beneficiaries, original 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program), and wait-listed families from the 17 local government units in Metro Manila shall receive their emergency subsidy through digital means and there will be no manual distribution unlike in the first tranche of the SAP.

As of August 7, the second tranche of cash aid has been disbursed to 71,701 wait-listed family beneficiaries from Caloocan City, Las Pinas City, Makati City, Mandaluyong City, Marikina City, Navotas City, Pasig City, San Juan City, Valenzuela City, and Quezon City through GCash and Starpay, the partner FSPs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

The other FSPs tapped by the DSWD to distribute the aid are PayMaya, Robinson’s Bank, and Union Bank.

Año said digital disbursement of the cash aid to some 1,553,052 original family beneficiaries has started in the pilot cities of Caloocan, Makati, Pasig, and Quezon City.

Wait-listed family beneficiaries have received P16,000 corresponding to two tranches while the original family beneficiaries who already got their first tranche last April-May will receive their second tranche of P8,000.

The 4Ps beneficiaries will also receive their 2nd tranche of P8,000.

“A total of P28.3-billion has been allocated for SAP 2 by the government,” Año said.

“Both the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) agreed that we will largely distribute SAP 2 via digital disbursement and we will only resort to manual disbursement in isolated rural areas in the provinces,” he said.

“Both the DSWD and the DILG are looking at Saturday, August 15, to complete the distribution of SAP 2 financial aid to our target more than 2,675,610 family beneficiaries, both original and wait-listed, in Metro Manila. The release of this financial aid during the MECQ (modified enhanced community quarantine) will help mitigate the economic impact of stricter quarantine measures in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces,” he added.

The most number of wait-listed beneficiaries came from Quezon City with 20,856 followed by Caloocan City with 18,704; and Pasig City with 17,865.

The secretary said they met all the LGUs of Metro Manila the other day to seek their support in locating some of the family-beneficiaries who did not indicate a phone number in their SAP forms.

“Since its now digital disbursement, the DSWD needs a phone number to be able to contact the beneficiaries. The LGUs have committed to help locate these beneficiaries through the barangay officials,” Año said.

“We are working very closely with the LGUs to settle all the remaining issues like the back-log in the encoding of the SAP forms and in locating the beneficiaries who have missing or invalid phone numbers to be able to complete the SAP distribution by the end of the week,” he added. Ella Dionisio/DMS