House leaders slam slow distribution of cash aid

MANILA, Philippines — House leaders yesterday expressed dissatisfaction with the distribution of cash aid to beneficiaries targeted by the Bayanihan to Heal as One law that they passed last month.

Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero and House public accounts committee chairman Mike Defensor urged the Departments of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Agriculture (DA) and Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to speed up implementation of the government’s financial assistance programs for sectors affected by the enhanced community quarantine.

Romero cited the report submitted by the Palace to Congress on the implementation of the Bayanihan law last Monday, which showed that “only a small fraction of our farmers and displaced OFWs have received assistance.”

The 1-Pacman representative lamented why the DA has only distributed aid to 52,043 out of 591,246 beneficiary-farmers, or 8.8 percent amounting to P645 million so far.

“These are those tilling one hectare or less in 34 provinces who are to get P5,000 each,” he stressed.

Romero further revealed that in the case of displaced OFWs, the DOLE has so far helped only 3,245 out of 86,054 who have applied for financial assistance.

He said the labor department has been given P1.5 billion for dislocated OFWs.

But Romero lauded the DOLE for significant results in displaced local workers – 416,202 out of a target of 557,924 or a total of P1.6 billion in financial assistance out of the P2.6-billion budget.

Defensor, on the other hand, slammed the DSWD for the delay in implementation of the P200-billion social amelioration program (SAP) under the Bayanihan law.

The Anakalusugan party-list representative lamented that the SAP “still has a long way to go” based on the latest report of the executive to Congress.

“We have to speed up the process so that the aid reaches poor households and workers,” he stressed.

Citing DSWD’s April 18 report, Defensor lamented that only 4.1 million, or roughly 23 percent of the 18 million target families, had been served so far.

Of those served, 3.7 million are covered by the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps and were therefore pre-identified, he said. They received P16.3 billion.

The other target beneficiaries, labeled as “non-4Ps” and numbering 13.6 million families, were to be identified by local government units (LGUs), which are yet to report on their distribution of financial aid. The DSWD has transferred P73.8 billion to LGUs.

“This means that our cash aid distribution performance ranged from a low of 8.8 percent to a high of 60.5 percent, excluding those served by LGUs. Clearly, there is room for improving the delivery of assistance to the poor,” he pointed out.

Meanwhile, the DSWD will realign its maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) budget for 2020 to generate more funds for their activities to provide aid to the vulnerable sector hard hit by the extended enhanced community quarantine enforced in most parts of the country, to contain the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

DSWD Undersecretary Rene Glen Paje, in a virtual press briefing the other day, said they have identified the capacity building project funds in the DSWD’s MOOE for 2020 for realignment.

Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista had earlier said they were set to submit a proposal to the Department of Budget and Management for the realignment of the DSWD’s budget to tap funds that will not be used for their stated purpose in the appropriations budget for 2020 for relief efforts. – With Rainier Allan Ronda