Press Release
April 24, 2020

Dispatch from Crame No. 778:
Sen. Leila M. de Lima on the slow distribution of emergency subsidy

Apatnapung araw mula nang mag lockdown, halos 13 milyong pamilya ang hindi pa rin nakakatanggap ng emergency subsidy. Katumbas ito ng mahigit-kumulang 60 milyong katao - lampas kalahati ng mga Pilipino - na wala pa ring ayuda hanggang ngayon, na mahigit isang buwan nang nakikipagbuno sa gutom at nakikipag-patintero sa COVID-19. Kalunos-lunos!

Anong petsa na, DSWD?

In Duterte's 4th weekly report under the Bayanihan Law, a mere additional 300,000 4Ps families were added from last week's account, making the total (of 4Ps households who have received the financial assistance) at 4 million families. This means that, more than a month into the lockdown, around 400,000 poorest of the poor families have yet to receive the needed subsidy.

At ito ay para pa lang sa mga nasa 4Ps, kung saan iniyabang ni Duterte na may maayos diumanong sistema ng distribusyon. Paano pa kaya ang pag-ayuda sa higit 14 milyong pamilyang mahihirap din, pero nasa labas ng 4Ps program? Naku, mas malaking drawing!

Yes, the DSWD has reported that it has already downloaded to the LGUs around P73B (or 91% of the allotted budget) for non-4Ps families. Yes, the DSWD has likewise reported that they have forged agreements with the LGUs, and have secured the commitment from the military and the police to help in the distribution of aid. Pero, oops, hanggang dyan na lang po muna sa ngayon. Nakaabang na ang pera sa mga munisipyo at syudad. Nakahanda na ang mga mamimigay ng ayuda. Pero hindi pa rin mawari at masuri kung sinu-sino ang mga bibigyan.

Alin kayang parte sa "emergency subsidy" ang hindi nila gets? Yong "emergency", o yong "subsidy"?

In the meantime, this sluggish way of distributing financial aid is fomenting unrest in our communities. This should be addressed with utmost urgency. To expedite the process, it is high time for the DSWD and the IATF to consider several good proposals, e.g. the optimum use of Listahanan, the cross-referencing with DOF's list of households eligible for TRAIN law refund, the adoption of "pay now, verify later scheme" complemented with the community audit of published lists of families, and tapping of telecommunication companies.

Sana naman ay umayos at bumilis na sa pinakamadaling panahon ang sistema ng pag-ayuda.

#NasaanAngAyuda #AidNowNa

(Access the handwritten copy of Dispatch from Crame No. 778, here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatch_no._778)

 

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