The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the lead agency that implements the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) pursuant to Republic Act 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, says that not all families will be given provision by the program.

The Memorandum Circular No. 9 or omnibus guidelines state that the emergency subsidy shall be given to low-income families, assessed to be most affected by the imposition of community quarantine, given their existing life situations or circumstances.

Target beneficiaries shall include 4Ps beneficiaries, families with low income including those who are not currently recipients of the 4Ps, informal economy workers, indigent families of Indigenous Peoples, and other vulnerable groups.

“As much as we want to help all families that are affected by the implementation of the ECQ (Enhanced Community Quarantine), we are bounded by guidelines that are our basis for doing what should be done,” DSWD-9 OIC-Regional Director Fatima S. Caminan said.

Not eligible to receive SAP grants are those families who have members that work in the government such as elected and appointed government officials, personnel contracted in any National Government Agency (NGA), Government –owned and Controlled Corporation (GOCC), and Local Government Units (LGU).

Employees in the private sector, formal economy workers, including those who work for GOCCs without original charters, regardless of the existence of employee-employer relationship, and regardless of the fact that they are receiving salary or wage are likewise excluded in the provision of SAP.

Retired individuals who are receiving pension and their immediate families are also not included in the program.

Region IX has 726,259 families to be covered by SAP. 323,074 of which are 4Ps family beneficiaries and 403,185 families are non-Pantawid beneficiaries who are qualified to receive the SAP cash subsidy based on the omnibus guidelines.

To date, DSWD Field Office 9 has already transferred a total amount of Php 1,951,158,000.00 to sixty six (67) LGUs in Region IX or about 98% of the total funding requirement.

Queries and complaints on inclusion and/or exclusion can be reported to the hotline service center of the DSWD through 0906-512-4841 (Globe) and 0961-721-0948 (Smart).