The Defeat COVID-19 Committee (DCC)’s social amelioration cluster has sought changes in rules and procedures of SAP to be able to reach more beneficiaries in the implementation of the second phase of the program this month.

Panel chair and Leyte Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez presented the proposal to the DCC and DSWD’s Bautista at a virtual hearing on the implementation of measures to address the crisis.

Gomez said the DSWD should set a uniform P5,000 cash subsidy for qualified families in the National Capital Region and provinces, as compared with the unequal distribution of P8,000 per family in NCR and P5,000 to P6,500 in provinces – depending on minimum wage set per region.

This way, the lawmaker stressed that the second phase of SAP will reach over 20 million families as compared with the 18 million families targeted by the program under Republic Act 11469 (Bayanihan to Heal as One Law).

“There is enough money for 20 million families and we can also simplify the process,” stressed Gomez, also chair of the House committee on disaster management.

The cluster suggested to the DSWD to continue direct distribution of the cash aid among four million beneficiaries of the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), just like in the first phase of SAP.

For the other 16 million poor families not covered by 4Ps, Gomez said the barangays will be required to come up with lists of families living below the 85th income percentile in their respective constituencies to be collated by the local and provincial governments and then submitted to DSWD.

She said their computation showed that around 16 million families are below the threshold.

She said the DSWD may then distribute the cash aid to families in the list, requiring only the ID of the head of the family, signed receipt and photo of recipient.