HONESTY. John Hendrick Contreras (right) receives the government's social amelioration program (SAP) aid intended for Eduardo Hernandez (left) due to a typographical error. DSWD lauded Contreras' honesty for returning the aid to Hernandez. (Photo courtesy of Contreras)
MANILA – A concerned citizen searched for a Social Amelioration Program (SAP) beneficiary when he received his financial assistance by "mistake".
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Thursday shared John Hendrick Contreras’ act of kindness and honesty when he sought for help online after getting money via his GCash account that was intended for Eduardo Hernandez.
“Kung sino man po nakakakilala sa kanya na taga Barangay Catmon, Sta. Maria, Bulacan, please po paki message po ako. Alam ko pong need na need nyo ito mukhang nagkamali po kayo ng lagay ng number at sa akin pumasok ito (If anyone knows this man from Barangay Catmon, Sta. Maria, Bulacan, please send me a message. I know you need this but I think you put the wrong account number),” he posted on Facebook.
Contreras later found his way to Hernandez by word of mouth.
“Nagkita na po kami ni Tatay Eduardo at na claim na rin po nya ang ayuda na para sa kanya talaga. God bless po at stay safe tayong lahat (I already met with Father Eduardo and he got the cash aid that was really meant for him),” he said.
To hasten the distribution process, DSWD tapped six financial service providers (FSPs) for the digital payout of the assistance.
Beneficiaries who have registered through ReliefAgad, a mobile and website application that easily captures beneficiary details, have received their SAP through DSWD's partner-FSPs, including GCash, Paymaya, Starpay, RCBC, Robinsons Bank, and Unionbank.
As of August 20, DSWD has distributed almost PHP78.4 billion to more than 13.1 million family-beneficiaries of the second tranche of the emergency cash subsidy under SAP.
The subsidy has already been provided to almost 1.4 million Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries; over 5.7 million low-income, non-4Ps families; more than 3.1 million waitlisted families nationwide; and over 1.7 million families in areas under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
Moreover, some 128,074 Transport Network Vehicle Service/Public Utility Vehicle drivers received the aid.
DSWD Secretary Rolando Joselito Bautista, during Tuesday's uSAP Tayo virtual presser, said the agency returned more than 200,000 social amelioration card (SAC) forms to LGUs nationwide due to incomplete information.
“The cards did not have either the beneficiaries’ mobile number, middle name, or birthday. Apart from that, there are still more than 300,000 names of beneficiaries that the LGUs need to submit to the DSWD Central Office to be validated,” he said.
There was no episode of uSAP Tayo on Thursday as the central office had to disinfect their office following safety protocols set by the Inter-agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases.
The “Bayanihan to Heal As One” Act has given the national government powers to provide emergency subsidies to low-income families.
Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1 of 2020 stated that the subsidy shall amount to a minimum of PHP5,000 to a maximum of PHP8,000 a month for two months to provide for basic food, medicine, and toiletries. (PNA)
