THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) yesterday said the distribution of the P22.9 billion Ayuda in the NCR Plus area will continue despite the shift to the more relaxed Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ).
“It’s not true that the ayuda for NCR Plus will stop because we have shifted to MECQ. That is fake news. Though more people are now back to work, the ayuda is a commitment of government and will continue to be distributed despite the change in quarantine classification,” said DILG Undersecretary and Spokesperson Jonathan Malaya.
He said the distribution is going smoothly across the NCR Plus area and that a total of P1.757 billion in ayuda funds have so far been distributed as of yesterday to some 1.7-million beneficiaries in the National Capital Region (NCR), Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal.
“We understand the challenges in the distribution of this financial aid considering the need to reach the farthest sitios and barangays. Still, we are calling on our city/municipal mayors and punong barangays to exhaust all means to ensure that the target beneficiaries will receive the ayuda the earliest possible time,” he said.
“Ang ating mga local chief executives ang nakakaalam kung anong mga bottlenecks and measures na dapat gawin para mas mapabilis ang pagbibigay ng ayuda sa mga mamamayang nangangailangan,” he added.
Malayas said safeguards are already in place to ensure that graft and corruption is prevented in the distribution of the Ayuda this year such as the posting of the beneficiaries list in the social media pages of the LGU concerned and the creation of a Grievance and Appeals Committee per LGU.
“In compliance with the directive of the President, we have organized a Joint Monitoring and Inspection Team per LGU headed by the DILG field officers, DSWD representative, Chief of Police, Provincial/City Prosecutor and a CSO representative. The JMIT has been tasked to monitor the distribution on a daily basis,” he said.
Malaya said that out of P1.7 billion ayuda funds distributed to beneficiaries, P1.574-billion (14.10%) are in the National Capital Region (NCR), P24.015-million (0.81%) are in Bulacan, P34.565-million (1%) are in Cavite, P28.564-million (1.05%) are in Laguna, and P95.197-million (3.64%) are in Rizal.
Per Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 1, series of 2021, priority low-income target beneficiaries and those working in informal economies will receive P1,000 per individual and a maximum of P4,000 per family. Those who shall receive ayuda are the beneficiaries of the first tranche of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP), additional beneficiaries in SAP 2, SAP wait-listed beneficiaries, and those belonging to vulnerable groups such as low-income individuals living alone, persons with disabilities (PWD), solo parents, and the like.
In the National Capital Region, the cities of Mandaluyong, Quezon City, Navotas, and Manila top the list of LGUS in NCR Plus which have distributed the most assistance to their constituents.
To date, Mandaluyong City has distributed P119.068-million (32.66%), Quezon City has disbursed P590.01-million (23.77%), Navotas gave out P46.932-million (23.48%), and Manila distributed P351.088-million (23.05%).
“Hindi po ‘yan sa dami ng mga tao sa lugar kundi sa disiplina at sistema ng pamamahagi ng ayuda. Kung kinakailangan po nating magparami ng mga distribution centers at mga tauhan, mas maigi para mas mabilis ang ating pamamahagi ng ayuda,” Malaya said.
Malaya also emphasized the importance of discipline in managing the emergency subsidy.
“Mapalad po kayo na mga nakatanggap ng ayuda, kaya mahalaga din maging disiplinado sa pagkuha at paggamit nito. Panawagan ko po sa taong bayan, hindi po yan pang online sabong, o pang-swimming, gamitin po ninyo yan para po sa mga essential na pangangailangan ng inyong pamilya,” he said.
