Claimants of cash aid under government's social amelioration program wait outside a remittance center in Caloocan City on August 11, 2020, amid the modified enhanced community quarantine. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News
MANILA - The distribution of the second tranche of government's cash aid for poor families affected by the COVID-19 crisis is now 86 percent complete and has reached over 12 million beneficiaries, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said Friday.
DSWD Spokesperson Undersecretary Irene Dumlao said more than P74.2 billion have been released to financial service providers that covered over 12.28 million beneficiaries of the 2nd tranche of the social amelioration program, based on the report they received Thursday.
The DSWD had set August 15 as its deadline for the distribution of the cash aid.
“Since patuloy tayong nagpo-process ng ayuda sa ating kababayan (we continue to process aid for the people), we are expecting this number to increase,” she said.
Dumlao also said that over 115,000 ride-hailing and jeepney drivers on the waitlist in the National Capital Region and other areas have already received their SAP benefits.
She meanwhile urged beneficiaries to only go to designated remittance centers once they receive a scheduled time and date that would be sent to them via text.
She said this would prevent beneficiaries from having to wait in line for a long time and ensure that the minimum health requirements are observed.
She reminded beneficiaries that they need not opt to cash out their money as they can use this to purchase medicine, food, or pay for bills in establishments using electronic wallets or digital transactions.
Social Amelioration Program, SAP, Philippine subsidy to poor families, COVID-19 cash aid, Irene Dumlao