Complaints from those who received only P1,000 worth of ECQ aid flooded in some areas.
In Barangay Gulod Malaya in San Mateo Rizal, beneficiary Yolanda Caculitan said she will appeal the P1,000 she received.
She said she could buy very little for a small amount.
“Ilang kilong bigas, maintenance ko pa. ‘Yon lang,” said Caculitan.
In Barangay Niugan in Malabon, those who received P1,000 also complained.
According to Al de Guzman, chairperson of the barangay, there are also beneficiaries who have disappeared from the list through the city social welfare and development (CSWD) office.
“Sinasagot ko naman sila na P1,000 lang kasi ‘yon ‘yong ayon sa validation ng CSWD… ‘Yon lang ang dapat tanggapin,” said De Guzman.
According to the Malabon local government, last week the Department of Social Welfare and Development-National Capital Region (DSWD-NCR) screened the list of beneficiaries to assist local social workers in the “deduplication” process.
It is said that many have declared separate families and many have also been interviewed repeatedly to get additional assistance in 2020.
The Malabon local government said city social workers can be contacted for questions and complaints on assistance.
Some beneficiaries complain of P1K worth of ECQ aid
In Barangay Apolonio Samson in Quezon City, the names and birthdates of some beneficiaries who did not receive assistance were incorrect.
Up to 120 beneficiaries complained.
In a speech on Friday night, President Rodrigo Duterte instructed the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to focus on the ECQ aid problem.
According to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Sec. Wendel Avisado, the funding for the social amelioration program taken from the remaining budget for the implementation of Bayanihan 2 is only P22.9 billion.
Avisado explained that only P1,000 or up to P4,000 ECQ aid per family can be given in government assistance because it is also necessary to allocate a budget for other regions that are likely to experience strict quarantine classification.
“The financial assistance or ayuda that we’re giving out now is just a one-time financial assistance. The other dimension of this that perhaps needs to be looked into is what about the regions who may yet also experience the same kind of reclassification later on? And that’s the thing that we’re also preparing for. And by then, we would also be needing the assistance of Congress already for an enabling law similar to Bayanihan 1 and Bayanihan 2,” said Avisado.