BY CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
The Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD) in Bacolod City is awaiting the go signal from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to resume the distribution of Social Amelioration Program (SAP) grant to “left-out” families.
Pacita Tero, DSSD Bacolod head, said their personnel and social workers have been working hard during the distribution of the second tranche of the SAP grant last week.
Unfortunately, while discharging their duty, some of them were exposed to COVID-positive patients and had to immediately undergo swab tests and go on home quarantine until their swab test results are released, Tero said.
This prompted the DSSD to immediately postpone the payout for the “left out” families that was scheduled to start Monday. They also halted the payout of the second tranche to remaining beneficiaries, she said.
Tero apologized to the beneficiary families who should have received their SAP grants since Monday.
She said they are waiting for the go signal from DSWD national office to resume the distribution of the SAP grant, this time, via digital means.
A total of P188.5 million will go to the 15,713 who were listed as “left out” or those who did not avail of the first tranche. They will receive P12,000 per family which is equivalent to two months.
Meanwhile, the SAP, provided for under the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act, consists of two releases of P6,000 each over two months for qualified beneficiaries.
The second tranche will benefit 97,266 Bacoleños, while the first tranche with an initial release of P588.9 million benefitted 98,143 residents.
The total releases for Bacolod will amount to about P1.3 billion.*
