Congress setting SAP funds for two million families: Go

BAGUIO CITY -- Congress is setting financial assistance to two million more Filipino families affected by the COVID – 19 pandemic.

Rep. Mark Go bared this during the Regional Inter – Agency Task Group (RIATG) COVID – 19 at the Department of Social Welfare and Development Regional Training Center here last week.

Go said under the “Bayanihan To Heal As One Act,” target beneficiaries of SAP of 18 million poor families nationwide was based on the 2015 poverty statistics in the country.

But since COVID – 19 affected the middle class, the government plans to provide immediate financial assistance to an estimated two million more families which can be considered as the “new poor.”

The P200 billion funding allocated for the SAP being distributed by DSWD can only cover the financial assistance for the initial 18 million target beneficiaries, thus Congress will  pass  a proposal to the President to  give additional budget so that the government can provide immediate financial assistance to 2 million more COVID – 19 affected families, Go said. 

The DSWD is handling the SAP but the government needs additional budget to cover more families, he added. 

DSWD – CAR Regional Director Leo Quintilla, in the same forum, bared their department’s call for public understanding as unless new guidelines are released  from the national level, it is still the guidelines under Memorandum Circular 9 that will be followed for the SAP financial assistance distribution. 

Quintilla reported that SAP financial assistance payout in the   Cordillera region   is at   93.4 percent   of the 297,289 target family beneficiaries in the region. 68 out of the 77 LGUs in the region have 100 percent payout accomplishment already. 

After the payout, the LGUs work on the liquidation report which will include the complete distribution list which will be validated and shall be the basis for the second tranche of the SAP financial assistance, he added. 

Meanwhile, Go  who is thechairperson of the House of Representatives Committee on Higher and Technical Education, shared that they are now including the concerns of the new normal in setting the direction for college and technical – vocational education in the country. Among the measures are going online, infusing flexible learning technique or blended learning and ensuring that there will be no cramping of students. (JDP/CCD-PIA CAR)