CASH AID. Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries await their turn to withdraw the emergency subsidy under the special amelioration program on Monday (April 6, 2020). The 4Ps are the first target beneficiaries to receive the cash subsidy from the national government. (Photo courtesy of DSWD Ilocandia's Facebook page)
MALASIQUI, Pangasinan — Some 205,195 Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) households in Ilocos (Region 1) affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) received cash assistance under the government’s social amelioration program (SAP), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) regional office said.
In an interview Tuesday, DSWD-1 information officer Darwin Chan said each household beneficiary got a total of PHP5,500 transmitted to their cash cards.
Based on the guidelines of DSWD posted on Ilocos regional office’s Facebook page, the PHP5,500 comprised PHP4,150 SAP emergency subsidy for the month of April, in addition to the monthly PHP750 health grant and PHP600 rice subsidy they are receiving.
There are a total of 19,336 beneficiaries in Ilocos Norte, 27,294 in Ilocos Sur, 30,839 in La Union, and 127,726 in Pangasinan, comprising the whole Ilocos region.
Meanwhile, in a forum with the Philippine Information Agency Ilocos Region on Tuesday, DSWD-1 regional director Marcelo Nicomedes Castillo said they are working with other national government agencies in identifying the other beneficiaries for the SAP.
He said the target beneficiaries of the program include the poorest, poor, and near-poor households.
“The poorest are the 4Ps households, the poor are those indigents but are still not included in the 4Ps, and the near-poor, who have income but not sufficient enough. They are the target beneficiaries of the program,” he added.
Castillo said that based on the guidelines of the program, the subsidy is given per family and not individually.
In the Ilocos Region, he said each household recipient will receive PHP5,500 that is based on regional minimum wage in the region amounting to PHP340 per day.
He asked for cooperation and patience from the public as government agencies roll out the program. (PNA)
