Cordillera Administrative Region- Beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) with Euro Master Visa (EMV) cash cards have started to receive their emergency subsidy under the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) Bayanihan Fund: Tulong Laban sa COVID-19 since 6 April 2020.
The total 59,396 household beneficiaries in the region includes 2,299 household beneficiaries under the Modified Conditional Cash Transfer or those validated members of the Indigenous Peoples and those in the Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas, and other 57,097 beneficiaries who are under the Regular Conditional Cash Transfer or those enumerated and validated through the Listahanan of the DSWD.
In the region, the beneficiaries received PhP 4,150 as additional to their health grant (PhP 750) and rice subsidy (Php 600) amounting to PhP1,350 for the month of April to complete the Php 5,500 total emergency cash subsidy based on the regional minimum wage rate. However, the regular grant worth PhP 1,350 will be released during the regular payout for P1 (February to March 2020) which is scheduled within the month of April.
“Proper coordination is being undertaken through our field staff with the LGUs at the barangay level to ensure that our beneficiaries abide to social distancing and other Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) health and safety protocols,” OIC Regional Director Leo Quintilla said.
Among the beneficiaries who received their subsidy is Sario Pacday, an Ibaloi farmer from Tublay, Benguet. The family of Pacday said that their source of income was affected by the declaration of the region-wide ECQ because of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
“Dakkel nga tulong daytoy emergency cash subsidy karkaro tadta nga crisis. Apektado kami launay ditoy ili me ta saan min nga maibiyahe ti nateng me ijay trading post gapu ijay lockdown. Isunga baddeg ja iyaman me ti gobyerno (The emergency cash subsidy is a big help for us. We are affected here in our place because we cannot deliver our harvest to the trading post because of the lockdown. So we are very grateful for the assistance from the government),” Pacday happily shared.
Meanwhile, beneficiaries with no EMV cash cards or those who did not receive their cash assistance are encouraged to coordinate with their Municipal Links for the distribution of grants and other concerns.
Republic Act (RA) No. 11469 or the “Bayanihan to Heal as One” Act mandates the provision of the Social Amelioration Programs or SAP which are different government programs that aim to address the effects of the public health emergency due to COVID-19 on the economic and livelihood activities of 18 million low-income households nationwide. One of the SAP implemented under the DSWD is the provision of the Emergency Subsidy for 4Ps household beneficiaries.#
