Sabangan first to complete SAP distribution in Cordillera

SABANGAN, Mountain Province - -  Sabangan Mayor Marcial Lawilao received a text message from  Office of Civil Defense  Director Alberto Mogol, in behalf of the Cordillera Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council  and the InterAgency Task Group  COVIF-19,  congratulating  the local government unit  for being the first municipality  in the region to fully distribute the Social Amelioration  Program(SAP) assistance to its beneficiaries.

 In an interview with Municipal Local Government Operations Officer Caridad Basilio, she bared how the LGU did it.

The municipality has 1,716 4Ps and 2,031 non-4P’s   SAP beneficiaries.

The mayor, she said, organized four teams accompanied by personnel of the Philippine National Police/ Bureau of Fire Protection/Philippine Army.

Each team consisted of staff of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Municipal SWDO, Office of the Mayor, and Office of the Municipal Treasurer. The payout started on April 14, 2020. 

Before the scheduled pay out, barangay officials were instructed to inform the SAP beneficiaries in their respective area to stay put. Each team covered two barangays per day and they have to finish the pay out even until late in the afternoon so that the following day, teams move to next two barangays. 

There were designated areas where the beneficiaries received their cash assistance observing the quarantine protocols of wearing of face mask and social distancing. Cash assistance for the senior citizens and bedridden were delivered personally by the concerned team. 

On April 17, the teams  revisited the few SAP beneficiaries who were not present during the  scheduled pay out,  completing the release of the cash assistance to all its beneficiaries.

The SAP is an emergency subsidy program under the Bayanihan to Heal as One law for low-income families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

For CAR, the SAP cash assistance for  non-4Ps is P5,500 based on the  wage rate in the region, and for P4Ps beneficiaries , they received  P4,150 to add up to their regular cash grant  of P1, 350 for  health and rice subsidy(excluding  education fund as classes are suspended during the ECQ period). (PIA Mountain Province)