Cordillera Administrative Region- The Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office Cordillera Administrative Region (DSWD FO CAR) in close coordination with the different local government units in the region has started to provide financial assistance to poor families whose income have been affected due to the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under Republic Act 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, the DSWD is one of the government agencies mandated to provide Social Amelioration Programs (SAP) to help the 18 Million poor and low-income families affected by the ECQ.

The financial assistance is part of the Social Amelioration Program of the National Government which aims to aid in the economic impact of the ECQ by providing PhP 5,000.00 to PhP 8,000.00 to each affected family depending on the regional minimum wage. For the Cordillera Region, families are expected to receive a maximum of PhP 5,500.00.

As of 15 April 2020, around 6,210 families from Baguio City have received the financial assistance with a total of PhP 33,854,000.00, 44 families in Pidigan, Abra with PhP 242,000.00, 199 families from Hungduan, Ifugao with PhP 1,094,500.00, 212 families from Kiangan, Ifugao with PhP 1,166,00.00 and 557 families from Sabanga, Mountain Province with PhP 3,063,500.00 worth of assistance.

Meanwhile, the DSWD FO CAR has already transferred around PhP 1.3 Billion to all the local government units in the region. The Province of Benguet received the highest amount of allocation of around PhP 330.1 Million, followed by Baguio City with PhP 247.60 Million, Abra Province with PhP 223.66 Million, Mountain Province with PhP 151.33 Million, Ifugao Province with PhP 150.47 Million and Kalinga Province with PhP 138.22 Million.

“We have been experiencing delays in the release of the financial assistance but we have already coordinated with our partners and stakeholders to expedite all efforts for us to deliver the assistance as soon as possible without sacrificing the credibility of the financial assistance”, DSWD OIC Regional Director Leo L. Quintilla said.

The DSWD FO CAR has been in close coordination with the Land Bank of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines and the local government units to ensure that the assistance will be released to those who are in need.

Aside from the financial assistance, the DSWD has already released the Emergency Subsidy to 59,396 Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program households. Each household received additional PhP 4,150.00 on top of the regular health grant and rice subsidy amounting to PhP 1,350. The PhP 1,350 grant is being released during the regular payout for P1 or February to March 2020 that is scheduled within April 2020. #DSWD-CAR, Social Marketing Unit, Nerizza Faye G. Villanueva