MANILA – A total of 129 local government units (LGUs) in Western Visayas or 88.77% have met the Sunday evening deadline for the distribution of the first tranche of the national government’ social amelioration program (SAP) to their respective recipients affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said.
DILG undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said in a television interview on Monday that those who were not able to beat the deadline can still distribute the cash aid to their constituents unless the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) demands to return the funds.
DSWD has released an amount of P5,763,114,000 to the beneficiaries in this region.
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 SAP subsidy.
“The show cause order that will be issued to the LGU is not only their accountability to the DILG, but most importantly to their constituents. Kailangan nilang ipaliwanag kung ano-ano ang mga problema at balakid kung bakit ‘di sila umabot sa deadline,” DILG secretary Eduardo Año said.
In Capiz province, 15 of its 17 LGUs completed the distribution of the SAP aid to the recipients as of May 11.
The LGUs were: Cuartero; Dao; Dumarao: Ivisan; Maayon; Mambusao; Panay; Panitan; Pilar; Pontevedra; President Roxas; Sapi-an; Sigma; and Tapaz.
Roxas City and Dumalag town, on the other hand, are still ongoing, DSWD-6 director Ma. Evelyn Macapobre said.(With a report from PIA/PN)
