Brgy officials who included unqualified SAP beneficiaries will face charges — DILG
Published May 7, 2020, 3:29 PM
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Thursday, May 7, warned that barangay officials who included the names of unqualified beneficiaries in the cash assistance under the social amelioration program (SAP) will face charges.
DILG Undersecretary for Barangay Affairs Martin Diño assured this as the some 2,000 SAP-related complaints have reached the agency.
Even with the mounting complaints, Diño said the DILG Emergency Operations Center will continue to welcome reports of any SAP related irregularities. Diño, however, vowed that due process will strictly be followed taking into consideration that some complaints may be unfounded and baseless.
Some of the most blatant grievances include the names of the unqualified children, relatives and supporters of the barangay chairman and barangay kagawads (village councilors).
Instances where several members of one household were named in the list of beneficiaries, while affluent residents with many prospective voters were also included in the list.
Diño said these shameless, flagrant, and deceitful acts unbecoming of public servants should be punished under the full force of the law.
Residents in a city in Southern Metro Manila who were excluded in the first tranche of financial grantees trooped to the barangay hall to air their protest over their non-inclusion. Composed mostly of senior citizens they complained the inclusion of unqualified recipients of the SAP benefits.
Meanwhile, DILG Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said SAP beneficiaries who have not received their cash aid are exempted from the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) curfew.
“If you need to do the distribution 24/7, which some of you have been doing already the past few days, please do so kasi nga itong pondong ito ay kinakailangan ng ating mga kababayan last week pa,” Malaya said in an interview over GMA news.
The DILG has extended the deadline for the distribution of the financial assistance under the SAP until May 10. From the initial April 30 deadline, the DILG extended it to May 7 but was put-off anew on May 10 due to the huge number of beneficiaries who have yet to receive their cash aid which is mostly in Metro Manila.
“The next three days is reasonable time for them to complete 100 percent. So I was told by Sec. Año (DILG Secretary Eduardo Año kanina (a while ago) that we will no longer extend this,” he added.
Malaya noted that if the LGU’s explanation is unreasonable then the DILG will pursue administrative cases before the Office of the Ombudsman.
