89 barangay captains suspended over SAP cash aid anomalies

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte announced Monday night the preventive suspension of 89 barangay captains for six months over alleged irregularities in the distribution of social amelioration program (SAP) cash aid intended to cushion the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his weekly televised address, the President read the list of suspended barangay captains after conducting his weekly meeting with core members of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).

“Itong mga barangay captains, I warned you. ‘Pag umpisa pa lang sinabi ko na do not f**k with this. Itong pera sa pantawid. ‘Yong panahod ng COVID na namigay ang gobyerno ng pera para sa mga mahihirap. Sinabi ko na, lalo na sa barangay level, na ‘wag na ‘wag ninyo gawin (I warned you from the beginning, do not mess with this money for the poor),” Duterte said during his nationwide address.

The President stressed the barangay captains would be under preventive suspenion for six months.

“Now suspendido muna for six months, then may hearing sa kaso mo. If a case is filed against you kasi pera ito, either pera na binulsa ninyo o hindi niyo ginamit o kung anong kabalastugan ang ginawa ninyo sa pera,” he added.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) earlier said irregularities committed by barangay officials include splitting the cash assistance, falsification of the master list and getting a “cut” from the beneficiaries.

More than P200 billion was allotted for SAP under the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act (Bayanihan 1) to provide cash subsidy to some 18 million poor households.