4Ps non-cash card holders get emergency cash assistance

CEBU, Philippines —  The Department of Social Welfare and Development-7 has started the distribution of emergency cash subsidy under the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) to the non-cash card beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

DSWD-7 said that 3,273 non-cash card beneficiaries of 4Ps have already received the first tranche of emergency cash aid as of May 20, 2020. The data released by DSWD-7 also shows that 224,061 4Ps beneficiaries with cash card accounts have already withdrawn their assistance from the Land Bank of the Philippines.

It said that over -the-counter payouts are ongoing to non-cash card 4Ps beneficiaries while distribution of cash cards is also ongoing to 58,089 household beneficiaries without physical cash cards.

According to DSWD-7,  a total of 227,334 4Ps beneficiaries in Central Visayas have already received their SAP emergency cash subsidy.

Under the Republic Act (RA) No. 11469 or the “Bayanihan to Heal As One” law, the government through DSWD, shall provide, among others, an emergency subsidy ranging from P5,000 to P8,000 per family to about 18 million low-income poor families who have been severely affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

Such subsidy represents the minimum wage rate per region meant to provide the poor households an additional resource to allow them to purchase basic necessities such as food, medicines, vitamins and hygiene essentials.

For Central Visayas region, SAP beneficiaries receive an amount of P6,000.00. For 4Ps household beneficiaries in the region, the computation of receivable amounts covered in the SAP emergency subsidy includes the emergency subsidy amounting to P4,650 which they received in the first payout while the remaining P1,350 for the health grant (P750) and rice subsidy (P600) will be given in the next payout.

All 4Ps household beneficiaries availing the emergency cash subsidy under SAP are no longer qualified to receive other subsidy from other national government agencies.

The 4Ps beneficiaries with cash cards were the very first recipients of the first tranche of SAP released as early as April 4. The remaining non-cash card holders received their subsidy afterwards as their payout scheme had to be managed and coordinated with the different Local Government Units and support stakeholders following strict protocols observed for COVID-19 response such as social distancing, wearing of masks, and proper hygiene.  FPL (FREEMAN)