Iloilo town distributes cash, rice to families excluded from SAP

By Emme Rose Santiagudo

Residents of San Dionisio in Iloilo province who did not receive the social amelioration program (SAP), Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and other assistance of the national government got cash incentives from the local government Thursday.

More than 3, 300 families in San Dionisio will receive P1,500 worth of cash assistance and one-half sack of rice courtesy of the local government.

Municipal Mayor Larry Villanueva said the initiative will help residents who were left out in the assistance programs of the national government amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis.

“Damo gareklamo na wala madala sila sa SAP so kami nga opisyales sa San Dionisio at my initiative gingitaan namon paagi mga ang mga families nga indi makabaton sang SAP maprovidan namon,” Villanueva told Daily Guardian on Wednesday.

Only 5,284 of the total 11, 178 families in San Dionisio qualified for the SAP, according to Villanueva.

Meanwhile, 2,553 families are members of 4Ps and around 66 individuals are recipients of the assistance program of the Department of Agriculture in Western Visayas (DA-6).

Villanueva said they used money from the provincial government, its trust fund, and the town’s disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) fund to help residents who were not included in the assistance programs of the national government.

”Ang akon di wala sang pinilian kag wala sang pinalabi kay sa subong nga panahon, tigpiligado gid. Ang tanan tanan nga pamilya sa San Dionisio ginatinguhaan gid naton nga mahatagan gid sila tanan sang assistance,” he added.

The local government started distributing the cash and rice assistance to the residents on Thursday.

Recently, the town also distributed P500 cash instead of relief goods to all the residents.

Villanueva said he was also humbled after seeing a number of residents return their cash assistance and SAP to the local government to provide for those who are more in need.

“May barangay tanod sa isa ka barangay nga ginbalik niya iya nga SAP kay may bata siya nga OFW. May tatlo man nga nag-uli kay ang ila nga asawa nakabaton na sa pihak nga banwa. Gapasalamat gid ako sa mabuot nga pumuluyo sang San Dionisio,” he said.

The mayor said the local government has enough funds for the residents until July 2020.

Meanwhile, Villanueva urged the residents of San Dionisio to cooperate with quarantine protocols implemented in the municipality to keep the town free from COVID-19.

“Sa tanan nga pumuluyo ka but-anon nga pumuluyo sa San Dionisio, buligi kami nga indi maglapta ang virus nga ini. Malawig pa ini amo na nga kinahanglan magbuliginay gid kita,” he said.