DSWD strikes out half of Zamboanga City’s poor families from SAP

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Half of Zamboanga’s poorest population was taken out from the government’s Special Amelioration Program, or SAP, and now the local government is asking for additional funding to feed all those removed from the cash emergency subsidy.

Mayor Beng Climaco said Zamboanga has more than 200,000 poor families who are supposed beneficiaries of the SAP, but the Department of Social Welfare and Development, or DSWD, only approved 112,000 families based on its 2015 census.

But Zamboanga was not alone. Almost all local governments in the country also complained that the DSWD has removed many poor beneficiaries from the SAP list.

“There are supposed to be more than 200,000 families (who are beneficiaries of SAP), but this was cut down (by DSWD) to around 112,000 and we are continually rolling this out, and in fact all of the departments of the local government ay nagtutulungan para i-print ang 500 reams ng mga papel (for Social Amelioration Card) at iniro-rollout na namin sa mga different barangays at mayroon orientation and afterwards evaluation and distribution,” she said.

Climaco said the local government has been using its P400 million supplemental budget its efforts to fight the spread of the Covid-19, among other related expenses and it needs more funds to sustain the SAP, particularly those that were stricken out of the DSWD list of poor beneficiaries.

“Yun budget namin allocated really in the fight against Covid-19 is around P400 million supplemental at kasama na rin dito ang mga bayad sa ating mga workers, bagama’t itong napagkasyahan namin (budget) to fight Covid-19 and kulang ang supplemented funds namin to also provide for all those na hindi naisali sa SAP kaya magre-request na lang kami ng additional funding from the national government so that we will be able to address the items, the number of families originally allocated kasi ang basis nila (DSWD) is 2015 data and we are now 2020 and we know the DSWD will be able to allocate the second wave of assistance,” she said.

(Photos and videos  by Argie Ramos, Giana Andrion, Bong Serondo, Rasul Monsales)

The SAP is intended for some 18 million families whose lives are greatly affected by the enhanced community quarantine imposed by President Rodrigo Duterte in March following the outbreak of the pandemic which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year.

“We are rolling out already the distribution of SAP and bagama’t kulang ang identified families ng DSWD, we will really comply. We are thankful to (DSWD) Secretary Roland Bautista and we are trying to be very fully cooperative by reaching out to the families, and in fact meron tayong innovation sa Zamboanga City and there are residents na nanghiram ng mga drones from the City Government at pina-plot nila yun mga kabahayan sa bundok na napakalayo para ma-reach out sila ng ating mga social workers kasi kung mano-mano ang gagawin ay napakalayo ng mga bahay at kung aakyatin nila and we will do it with the use of technology. 

The Ateneo de Zamboanga University and the Western Mindanao State University are helping us with the contact tracing of the patients,” Climaco said.

She also suggested that overseas Filipino workers, be tested for Covid-19 before they are allowed entry to Zamboanga. She cited the dozens of Filipinos who arrived from Covid-infected Sabah in Malaysia and were quarantined on Sibakel Island off Basilan province’s Lantawan town last month.

“Yun mga persons na pumasok galing sa Sibakel Island sa Basilan after the 21-day period quarantine none of them were really tested and we would also like to recommend to OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administrator) Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac that we will really comply with the policy directives of the national government na papasukin ang ating mga OFWs na stranded sa Metro Manila and Clark (International Airport) kung puwede - kasi may access naman sa DOH - if possible to have all of them tested so that the local government units will not be burden in a way na tatanggapin natin and then ipapa-quarantine na naman.”

“Kasi hindi naman enough yun quarantine certificate na asymptomatic, it will really be best for the help of the local government units kasi wala naman naibibigay na test kits sa Zamboanga City, so sila (OWWA and DOH) na lang ang mag-swab at ipakita sa kanila ang quarantine certificate na they have been tested and found negative bago sila (OFWs) papasukin kasi nga iyon ang requirements sa atin mga lungsod na kailangan natin tanggapin ang mga OFWs na nag-quarantine sa ibat-ibang lugar,” Climaco further explained.

She said the security forces and village leaders are now on the frontline and guarding the borders to prevent the entry of suspected Covid-infected people from Malaysia. “Well, nag-lockdown na rin yun Sulu at Tawi-Tawi and they are very strict, but again we really cannot prevent the entry of persons coming in from Malaysia in these borders and that is why the Philippine Coast Guard down to our barangay captains are the ones monitoring the entry of persons into the city of Zamboanga,” Climaco said.

Zamboanga has hundreds of suspected Covid-19 cases and nearly 2 dozen related deaths and 8 confirmed cases, although one of them had recovered from the deadly disease. (ZamboangaPost)

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