MANILA – At least 369 local government units (LGUs) across the country failed to meet the deadline for the distribution of the first tranche of the national government’s social amelioration program (SAP).
Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya disclosed this on Monday, saying that around 22 percent of all cities and municipalities were unable to meet the cash distribution following the deadline on Sunday.
As of 11:59 p.m. on Sunday night, 77.42 percent or 1,265 out of 1,634 LGUs have completed the rollout, Malaya told CNN Philippines.
Of the 1,265 LGUs that have completed the payout, 120 are in the Ilocos Region; 107 in Central Luzon; 112 in Bicol Region; and 71 in Calabarzon, he added.
“Ang atin pong report galing sa ating mga regions as of 12 midnight last night is 1,265 na LGUs po ang nakahabol sa deadline, natapos nila lahat. This equates to a national payout rate of 90 percent… 90.86 percent… almost 91 percent po as of midnight last night,” said Malaya.
Those who were not able to beat the deadline, according to Malaya, can continue to distribute them to their constituents, unless the Department of Social Welfare and Development demands for the return of the funds.
“Our advice to LGUs that are not yet finished is to continue with SAP distribution even after the deadline,” Malaya said.
The DILG has earlier warned that it will start issuing show cause orders to the LGUs, starting with those which showed “very poor performance” in the distribution of the emergency subsidy.
Meanwhile, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque made the same advice to LGUs who failed to complete the cash distribution on Sunday evening.
“Patuloy pa rin dapat ang pamimigay until bawiin na ang pondo ng DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development),” Roque said in a virtual press conference on Monday.
Roque also said that, with the near completion of the first tranche of emergency subsidies, the public could expect the distribution of the second tranche soon.
The government initially allotted P200 billion to give the poorest families P5,000 to P8,000 each for two months. The program will be expanded to cover five million more families./PN
