The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), attempting to promote transparency, has started to post the list of the names of the beneficiaries of the Social Amelioration Program on the websites of its field offices.
DSWD field offices are currently preparing the list of the paid beneficiaries for posting on their websites, which the public may easily access through dswd.gov.ph.
The websites will feature the list of SAP beneficiaries in the provincial, municipal, and barangay levels. Search and filter functions have been added so the public can easily navigate the sites, the department said in a press statement.
The publication of the list of the SAP beneficiaries will allow the public to know who have received the assistance and scrutinize whether these beneficiaries are really qualified for the aid based on the eligibility criteria contained in the guidelines of the program.
The public may report to DSWD, through its Grievance Redress System, those whom they think are unqualified based on the list.
The grievances related to the SAP implementation will be managed and monitored by the DSWD Central Office-Operations Center (OpCen) through its 24/7 hotlines: 16545, 0947-482-2864, 0916-247-1194, and 0932-933-3251.
The public may also send text messages to 0918-912-2813 and email at [email protected].
Taguig assessment
The Taguig City government has started conducting its Online Assessment Survey for individuals who might be at risk of the coronavirus disease.
This tool, according to Mayor Lino Edgardo Cayetano, was created to make assessments more accessible for individuals who have limited capacity to leave their homes and consult in the nearest health facility.
Residents can take the assessment through www.taguiginfo.com. He or she must call the first Taguig COVID-19 hotline and health centers for the assessment to be delivered to them.
Those who need to be tested will receive a control number with date and time for testing through e-mail and further instructions to fill-out forms.
In total, 15 deaths, 28 recoveries, and 1, 287 suspected cases were recorded in the city as of May 2.
Teachers deputized
The Parañaque City government has deputized daycare center teachers and personnel of the city treasurer’s office to assist barangay officials in the distribution of cash assistance under the social amelioration program to thousands of household beneficiaries.
Mayor Edwin Olivarez made the decision to deploy 130 school teachers and 20 disbursing officers from the treasurer’s office after experiencing difficulty in implementing the DSWD program, including verifying the list of qualified beneficiaries.
Local government units were given until April 30 to distribute the first tranche of the cash assistance under SAP to all of their target beneficiaries amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año heeded the requests of local executives to extend the deadline on May 7 of the SAP distribution in LGUs with dense population such as the cities of Cebu, Davao, the provinces of Cavite, Rizal, Laguna and Bulacan, and the National Capital Region.
Gabriela raps PhilHealth
Gabriela Women’s Party on Sunday expressed outrage over the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s (PhilHealth) insistence on the hefty mandatory premium payments of overseas Filipino workers and imposition of compounded interest on missed payments even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Philhealth issued a Circular 2020-014 last April 2 which reiterates the new hefty 3 percent premium rate this year for its direct contributors, including OFWs, from the 2.75 percent premium rate in 2019.
For an OFW earning around P27,000 per month, the 3 percent premium rate amounts to nearly P10,000 for 12 months.
“Filipino workers abroad are already burdened with work adjustments and income losses amid the COVID-19 pandemic. And yet Philhealth still wants to make them its milking cow with its insistence on the hefty 3 percent premium rate plus interest for missed payments,” Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas said.
Tourism scenario
More than five million workers in the travel and tourism industry must be saved from losing their jobs to boost economic recovery when the COVID-19 pandemic is over, Senator Imee Marcos said.
Marcos, who chairs the Senate committee on economic affairs, said travel and tourism made up more than 12 percent of the country’s gross domestic product but had been the “longest-suffering industry” since the viral outbreaks in China and Korea, the Philippines’ largest tourist markets.
“A cut in the marketing and advertising budget of the Department of Tourism, amid the slump in domestic and international travel, can be used instead to subsidize payrolls of tourism partners especially in micro, small and medium enterprises,” said Marcos.
She said the Finance department should look into this since the government has spent 90 percent of its supplemental budget and is now asking for more funds from Congress.