Davao City: Following a rigid house to house validation and cross-matching of beneficiaries for the first tranche of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP), the Department of Social Welfare and Development XI (DSWD XI) has so far found out 1,187 duplications of beneficiaries who received other subsidy aside from the cash assistance released thru the DSWD.
During the One Davao Virtual Presser held yesterday, DSWD XI Regional Director Grace Subong said in the two districts in Davao City, the DSWD frontliners were able to identify individuals who received the 1st tranche from DSWD and later received another cash subsidy from another national government office.
“We conducted deduplication process by batch and one mechanism is thru house to house validation. Of the 29,000 who were paid, we found about 1,187 beneficiaries who need to return the cash back to DSWD because of duplication,” Subong said.
However, after the regional validation done by DSWD XI, the validated list was submitted to the Central Office of DSWD for further inter-regional validation. The official explained that said list will be cross-matched with the database of the Department of Finance (DoF) to further check if the SAP beneficiaries did not receive from the DoF’s program which is Small Business Wage Subsidy (SBWS).
“Among gina-emphasize karon nga kinahanglan nilang iuli ang cash balik sa DSWD kay kini i-utilize ug ihatag sa mga angay makadawat para sa mga waitlisted ug para sa 2nd tranche. (We emphasize here that those who received double of the cash assistance will have to return the cash back to DSWD since the money will be given to the waitlisted and those who are eligible for the 2nd tranche.),” she said.
For those who received the cash through direct pay-out in Davao City, they may return the cash directly to the DSWD office. However, the DSWD XI understood that convenience-wise, some individuals would prefer to return it to the barangay hall instead. The barangay official may issue an acknowledgement receipt to the individual who returned the cash.
Subong encouraged these individuals who received double cash assistance to voluntarily return the cash. She explained that the purpose of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) is to ensure that those Filipinos who are in need most of government assistance will be reached.
“So far, ang among naexperience kay kusa sila nga miuli sa cash. Matud pa nila, wala sila nagexpect nga makadawat ang ubang myembro sa ilang pamilya ug ubang cash assistance from another national government agency. Nakita namo nga dili pagpangilad ang rason ngano nadoble ilang nadawat. Nakita diri ang pagkahonest sa mga Dabawenyo. (So far, we have been receiving returned cash from individuals who voluntarily go to our office. According to them, they did not expect that another member of their family will receive another subsidy from another government office. We have seen how Dabawenyos are really honest.),” Subong said.
The DSWD XI also recorded 1,190 Pantawid Programa (4Ps) beneficiaries who also received double government subsidy. It could be that their family member later received cash assistance from another NGA.
Subong said that these 4Ps beneficiaries who have duplicate cash assistance need not return the amount. Instead, they will just monitor an automatic deduction from the 2nd tranche or in their regular cash grant. (PIA XI/Frances Mae Macapagat)