MANILA, Philippines — Families in Pasig City not included in the national government's Social Amelioration Program for the COVID-19 crisis will still receive cash aid, Mayor Vico Sotto said.
In a radio interview with DZMM, Sotto said the city government already “downloaded” the more than P700 million aid from the national government. This will cover some 93,000 families in Pasig.
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“We will not be selective... You do not have to be a voter. No such requirement. If you are a resident of Pasig, you will be given aid,” the city mayor added.
While SAP fund is a big help to Pasig City residents, Sotto admitted that it is not enough. “There are 150,000 families that will not be covered,” Sotto pointed out.
“We looked for funds, we identified [funds], studied Pasig’s cash position last week, and we saw that the local government of Pasig can shoulder [aid] for those who are not included in the DSWD list of 93,000 families,” he explained in Filipino.
Sotto said they will withdraw from its trust fund and shelve some projects temporarily to be able to hand out P8,000 to the 150,000 families left out from the DSWD list.
He added that they will immediately start distributing aid from the national government as soon as they receive the final list of families covered by SAP.
Sotto explained distribution of the SAP will take a week, and another one to two weeks are needed to cover the other 150,000 families.
The Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine is on its fifth week now. The measure meant to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country sent millions of Filipinos in lockdown and affected—to some, halted—their livelihoods. — Kristine Joy Patag