CASH AID. A Pasay City resident receives PHP4,000 on April 9, 2021 under the national government’s assistance program for residents in areas under enhanced community quarantine. The city has received PHP348 million for the grant of emergency assistance to its qualified residents. (Photo courtesy of Pasay-PIO)
MANILA – Pasay City Mayor Emi Calixto on Wednesday said she will ask for an extension of the deadline for the city's payout of the government's emergency assistance to ensure that all beneficiaries are legitimately qualified to receive pandemic cash subsidy from the government.
Rubiano said the city government has yet to submit a request on the matter to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) within this week.
“Nais po kasi nating matiyak na iyong mga tamang pangalan ng mga benepisaryo na binigay ng DSWD-NCR (National Capital Region) ang makakatanggap kaya maliban sa pagpaskil sa mga barangay ay inilagay na rin po naming sa mga website ng barangay at sa ating city hall po, at iyon po ang dahilan kung bakit medyo naantala kami (We want to make sure that the correct names of the beneficiaries identified by DSWD-NCR will be the recipients, so apart from posting in the barangays, we have also posted them on the barangay websites and in our city hall, and that is the reason why we were a bit delayed)," she said in a radio interview.
She said they might not be able to meet the 15-day deadline to complete the cash aid distribution for their constituents as they have encountered some challenges, particularly in the posting of the list of names of the beneficiaries.
She added that the city government has also strictly verified that all cash recipients are bonafide beneficiaries.
“Humingi na po kami ng extension sa DILG sapagkat hindi po kakayanin na maibigay namin ang ayuda sa itinakdang deadline dahil natagalan po kami sa pagpaskil sa mga barangay ng mga pangalan ng mga tatanggap ng ayuda (We already sought an extension from DILG because we cannot meet the set deadline as it took us a while to post the list of recipients)," she added.
Around PHP348 million funds from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) was downloaded to the city government, Rubiano said.
The city government started posting the list of beneficiaries in Barangay 51 on April 6 as well as in barangays 46, 104, 183, and 201 on April 7.
Rubiano said the local government is also working to include some waitlisted residents in the cash assistance.
She added those who are not on the list can still wait for the second batch of aid distribution.
“Sa ngayon po, nasa 10 percent pa lang po kami, 34,000 individuals (As of now we have only distributed to about 10 percent or 34,000 individuals),” she said.
On March 31, the DSWD, DILG, and Department of National Defense issued Joint Memorandum Circular 1 that provides guidelines on the distribution of financial assistance after President Rodrigo Duterte approved the release of PHP22.9 billion to those affected by the ECQ.
The LGUs were directed to release the cash assistance to their constituents within 15 days upon receipt of the funds.
In-kind assistance should be given within 30 days. (PNA)
