DSWD Still Waiting For Guidelines On P500 Subsidy

The poorest families entitled to a monthly subsidy of P500 will have to struggle some more with the skyrocketing prices of oil until the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has been issued guidelines on how to distribute the cash benefit.

Irene Dumlao, officer-in-charge and director of the DSWD Social Marketing Service, said on Thursday, March 24, the department is still waiting for the guidelines and the downloading of funds for the subsidy from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

Earlier, the DBM said the P500 subsidy will be issued to beneficiary-families for three months.

Budget Undersecretary Tina Canda told reporters on Tuesday, March 22, that the P500 monthly subsidy for poor families is expected to be released next month and will come from the excess revenues from value added tax (VAT) collections amid the increase in fuel prices.

Intended for three months, the cash aid will likely be given in a “one-shot bigtime deal of depositing P1,500,” she said.

Dumlao told One Balita Pilipinas on One PH on Thursday that the DSWD is now coordinating with the Department of Finance (DOF) regarding the requirements for the P500 monthly subsidy.

This week, President Duterte asked the DOF to increase the monthly subsidy as the P200 announced earlier was too small based on feedback from the ground.

The Department of Budget and Management said on Wednesday, March 23, it may only allot some P20 billion for those three months due to few sources of funding.

On Tuesday, March 22, Malacañang said the government is looking for ways to push through the proposal of the President.

“Ang sabi ng Pangulo...gawin ang lahat para makakuha ng pondo, kung ano mang paraan 'yon kailangan makabuo tayo ng P500 na kada beneficiary doon sa tumatanggap ng 4Ps,” Andanar said in a press briefing, referring to the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

If fulfilled, around 4.2 million beneficiaries are expected to receive the cash assistance from the government but this will be finalized once the guidelines are issued.

“Nasa mahigit 4.2 million households ang kabilang sa programang ito. But sabi ko po, hindi pa po natin matiyak kung ilan makakatanggap ng tulong na ito hanggat hindi pa po nailalabas [ang] kasulatan,” she emphasized.

“Ang DSWD po [ay] nakapag-umpisa na makapagbuo ng panuntunan tungkol diyan, but then of course, ‘yang panuntunan ng DSWD, will be anchored to the official issuances that will be provided to us from the DOF and DBM,” Dumalo said.

Transport service contracting

Meantime, a parallel service contracting program (SCP) will be implemented by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in order to provide free transport services to commuters and direct subsidy to operators and drivers.

“It’s a direct subsidy to them (transport sector) and it is performance-based, number of kilometers is computed, corresponding amount is attributed to the kilometer,” Canda explained.

“We released P7 billion for this purpose last Monday issued to LTFRB precisely to cover the transport fee,” she added.

In a statement on Thursday, the LTFRB confirmed that the funds from the DBM were released Monday but the program could not be implemented without a disbursement exemption from the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Under Comelec Resolution No. 10747, the public spending ban from March to May 2022 also covers the LTFRB.

Since the Comelec exemption is under process, LTFRB-Metro Manila director Zona Tamayo said the SCP program may likely begin as early as next month.

‘Adding insult to agony’

On Thursday, Sen. Grace Poe assailed the Duterte administration for its close-fisted allocation of aid to poor families contending with the soaring prices of oil.

She described as “adding insult to agony” the government’s having pulled off a fast one by offering poor households a more attractive P500 monthly subsidy instead of just P200, but at the same time, shortening the beneficial period from one year to three months.

“Compared to P200, the P500 per month aid to the poorest of the poor may look better on its face but there’s a catch. From the earlier promised year-long assistance, it was announced that the cash aid can be guaranteed for only three months,” said Poe, noting that instead of each family receiving P2,400 over the course of a year, government is only affording them P1,500.

Presidential candidate Sen. Panfilo Lacson has said that the P200 monthly “ayuda” being offered by the administration is “pathetically too little,” while P500 is still not enough but definitely better. – With Neil Jayson Servallos, Cecille Suerte Felipe