The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) was directed by President Rodrigo Duterte to investigate the reported irregularities in the distribution of financial aid in Metro Manila and adjacent provinces.
In a meeting with government officials on Monday night, the President said he has seen media reports on beneficiaries encountering problems in securing the financial grant.
“Maraming nagreklamo na ano, so ask your field officers to try to make the rounds and investigate if these allegations are true,” he said, referring to claims that some people have received insufficient or no aid at all.
Duterte made the request after DILG Usec. Bernardo Florece claimed the department has yet to receive complaints regarding the emergency subsidy in NCR and nearby provinces of Laguna, Cavite, Bulacan and Rizal.
Nearly 23 million beneficiaries from low-income families in the five areas, which had been placed under enhanced community quarantine from March 29 to April 11, are expected to benefit from the government’s social amelioration program.
Florece said that all government units in the Greater Manila area have decided to distribute cash, except for Calauan town in Laguna which opted to give the aid in kind.
Meanwhile, Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rolando Bautista admitted the subsidy rollout, which started on April 6, has been “slow,” with only 8% of the allotted budget reaching the beneficiaries as of April 11. This translates to some ₱1.7 billion disbursed out of the ₱22.9 billion allocated.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority previously said it will formally write to the DILG to ask for more time to finish the distribution, noting that Metro Manila mayors will find it hard to cover all of their residents in 15 days’ time.
