Social Amelioration Packages Aside from P6k Subsidy Available

Since the Php 6,000 subsidy from social amelioration cards is not for every household, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia directed Cebu mayors to check on other social amelioration packages offered by other national government agencies (NGA).

“There is a list of other social amelioration measures to consider. Dili na lang ta mag-focus aning social amelioration cards kay nagtuyok-tuyok na ta unya klaro na man nang dili tanan makadawat. Let us explore the programs of other agencies nga wala man gani tingali nag-file pa,” she said.

Other options have been provided in the Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1, a special guideline on the provision of social amelioration programs of different NGAs to the most affected residents of the areas under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

These agencies include Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), and Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Aid for drivers

Drivers, for example, who lost their livelihood because of the ECQ, can receive Php 5,000 cash aid for April and May. Those who will be included in the list of beneficiaries will receive their financial support through the Landbank of the Philippines.

Collection of data for program beneficiaries will begin in the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) regional offices.

Beneficiaries must be drivers of public utility jeepneys and buses, UV Express, point-to-point buses, taxis, transport network vehicle service, school transports, and motorcycle taxis.

Since cross-application with other government subsidies is not allowed, the LTFRB and DSWD will cross-match the list of beneficiaries with other programs such as the Listahanan or the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

The Listahanan or the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction is an information management system that identifies who and where the poor sector is in the country.

The system provides national government agencies and other social protection stakeholders a database of poor families as reference in identifying potential beneficiaries of social protection programs.

The 4Ps is a human development program that invests in the health and education of poor households, particularly of children aged zero to 18 years old.

Patterned after the conditional cash transfer scheme implemented in other developing countries, 4Ps provides cash grants to beneficiaries provided that they comply with the set of conditions required by the program.

Aid for workers, farmers

DOLE also offers Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Displaced/Disadvantaged Workers Barangay Ko, Bahay Ko Disinfection/Sanitation Project (TUPAD #BKBK), a community-based safety net program that provides temporary wage employment to the underemployed, self-employed, and displaced marginalized workers who have lost their livelihood or whose earnings were affected due to the ECQ.

DA, on the other hand, offers Cash Assistance to Rice Farmers (Rice Farmer Financial Assistance) which provides Php 5,000 one-time aid to rice farmers with farm sizes not more than one hectare and listed under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture.

Survival and Recovery (SURE) Assistance Program for Marginalized, Small Farmers and Fishers is also another program of the DA which offers a zero-percent interest rate loan assistance amounting to P25,000 to be given to eligible borrowers affected by the ECQ.

These borrowers will be validated by DA regional field offices and the local government units (LGUs).

Aid for MSMEs

Meanwhile, DTI offers Pondo sa Pagbabago at Pag-Asenso (P3), a financing program established by Small Business Corporation for micro enterprises with an asset not exceeding P3 million at not more than 2.5 percent per month all-in interest rate and service charges.

The Bayanihan to Heal as One Act passed recently empowered the national government to provide an emergency subsidy to 18 million low-income Filipino families as defined in the Circular.

The subsidy, amounting to a minimum of Php5,000, shall be given to qualified beneficiaries for two months to provide for their basic needs such as food, medicine, and toiletries.

It shall be computed based on the prevailing regional minimum wage rates and the existing subsidy programs of the local and national government.

For programs with insufficient funding, the national government shall augment the funds so that each eligible family gets the threshold of Php5,000, in cash or in kind, depending on the prescribed minimum wage rate per region. (SN)