By John Clifford Lintao
THE Department of Interior and Local Government, with all certainty, hinted at completing the digital distribution of the Social Amelioration Program’s second tranche in Metro Manila by next week.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said that as of August 7, 2020, the SAP’s second tranche (SPA 2) has so far been disbursed to 71,701 waitlisted family-beneficiaries. The aid was given using financial service providers (FSPs).
In addition to that, digital disbursement of the SAP-2 to some 1,553,052 original family-beneficiaries had started in Caloocan, Makati, Pasig, and Quezon City.
Waitlisted family beneficiaries will receive P16,000 corresponding to 2 tranches of the SAP while original family beneficiaries who already received their first tranche last April-May will receive their second tranche of P8,000.
4Ps beneficiaries will also receive their 2nd tranche of P8,000.
A total of P28.3-billion had been allocated for SAP 2 with 2,675,610 family beneficiaries to receive assistance.
Año emphasized that all Metro Manila beneficiaries would receive their emergency subsidy through digital means, with manual disbursement limited to isolated rural areas in the provinces.
Waitlisted 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 received their financial assistance through GCash and Starpay, the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s partner FSPs.
The other FSPs tapped by the DSWD to distribute the aid were PayMaya, Robinson’s Bank, and Union Bank.
DILG Undersecretary and Spokesperson Jonathan Malaya meanwhile reminded beneficiaries to practice minimum health standards, especially physical distancing, when they are claiming their financial aid in remittance centers to avoid transmission of COVID-19. “It’s the greatest irony of all kung makukuha ng mga tao ang virus sa pag-claim ng SAP 2. Yan po ay nakakalungkot kaya po pakiusap, maintain a physical distance.”