By Rod Lagusad
The local government of San Juan started distributing financial assistance to certain sectors in the city on Saturday (April 17).
Dan Pedracio, City Social Welfare Development Department officer-in-charge, said these groups include senior citizens, solo parents, persons with disabilities, and individuals who are working under the informal sector.
The city is also strictly implementing the minimum health standards at the distribution area, such as wearing both a face mask and a face shield and observing physical distancing.
“Ang ginawa ho ng ating lungsod, sa pangunguna ni Mayor Francis [Zamora], nagkaroon ho kami ng timeslot kung saan po ay nilalahad ho namin doon sa isang oras. Meron lang ho isandaan na tao po ang maaring pumunta, at makikita niyo naman po hindi ganun ho ka-crowded,” he said.
[What our city did, under the leadership of Mayor Francis (Zamora), was to establish timeslots where we laid out everything in one hour. Only 100 people can enter at a time, and you can see the area isn’t that crowded.]
Barangay St. Joseph, one of the barangays included in the first day of distribution of payout for sectoral groups, has 1,057 beneficiaries.
The other barangays that received payouts today were Progreso, Isabelita, Addition Hills, Onse, Greenhills, Tibagan, Maytunas, and Little Baguio, with 6,053 beneficiaries.
The distribution of financial assistance in the rest of the barangays will start tomorrow and go on until Tuesday.
The cash aid comes from the national government, which has allotted P22.9 billion in funds left over from the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act to provide aid of P1,000 in cash or in-kind to 22.9 million low-income individuals.
This is to cushion the economic impact of the recent two-week enhanced community quarantine imposed over Greater Manila in response to a surge of COVID-19 cases.
Meanwhile, the city has distributed financial assistance to its Social Amelioration Program (SAP) and 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program) beneficiaries.
“‘Yung total ho natin ng SAP beneficiaries tsaka Pantawid, umaabot po ‘yan ng almost 19,000 at mahigit na po 18,000; [at] ‘ yung ating napamigay [sa] pamilya [ay] katumbas ho ng mahigit 62 to 65 million [pesos],” he added.
[The total number of SAP and Pantawid beneficiaries reached almost 19,000, it was over 18,000; and what we gave out amounted to over 62 to 65 million pesos.]
Sally Talyer, 62, is one of the beneficiaries who received financial assistance today.
She was given 2,000 pesos while two of her children got 1,000 pesos each.
“Eh kasi ‘yung pera ko, ‘yung sarili ko, pambili ng gamot ng asawa ko, ‘yung pera ng dalawang anak ko pambili ng gatas at pagkain,” Talyer explained.
[My money will go to buy medicines for my husband, while the money received by my two children will be used for milk and food.]
As the beneficiaries are handed their financial assistance, a photo of them holding the money is taken as proof that they received the cash aid.
Aside from San Juan, other metro local government units are also continuously distributing assistance to their respective areas.
As of April 16, Navotas City has distributed P116,628,000 to 35,610 families.
In Manila, around 199,359 families received their financial assistance during the local government’s 10-day distribution period.
The local government of Quezon City reported that 368,412 families or 1,159,450 individuals have received financial assistance.
