Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rolando Bautista said Tuesday they can now distribute aid “more efficiently” with the validated list of low-income Filipino families in need of assistance at this time of the pandemic. “We can guarantee that delivery of goods will be sent faster as we already have a validated list of SAP beneficiaries. Having a comprehensive and updated database is a confident indication that we will identify correctly those who need the aid,” Bautista said in Filipino during the uSAP Tayo conference, September 15. Bautista announced after President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act into law last Friday, which provides a P165.5-billion fund to finance the country’s response and recovery efforts to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. To date, the agency has distributed the social amelioration program (SAP) assistance to some 13.8 million family beneficiaries worth P82.7 billion. The DSWD Secretary also said there would be no difference with the allocation of aid for the Bayanihan 2 except for the improvements they made in their system while learning the nitty-gritty of the COVID-19 emergency cash aid. “Like Bayahihan 1, the second instalment aims to reduce the effects of Covid-19 in the socio-economic well-being of the Filipinos,” he added.  

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  DSWD is currently meeting with partner agencies to discuss the amendments in delivering the aid. —(Source: PNA)