Mayor asks for extension of SAP aid to GCQ areas

By Emme Rose Santiagudo

Seeing the economic and social impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Mayor Jerry Treñas appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte to extend the distribution of financial assistance to areas under General Community Quarantine (GCQ), particularly Iloilo City.

In a formal letter addressed to the President, Treñas appealed to include constituents of Iloilo City in the distribution of the second tranche of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) program of the national government.

The national Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19 (IATF) earlier said that qualified households in areas under GCQ can no longer avail of the second tranche of the SAP assistance.

According to the mayor, poor communities in the city, especially the informal sector, are suffering from the effects of the two-month lockdown like job and income losses.

Treñas said stringent health containment measures in the metro forced many businesses to shut down, leaving vulnerable households with no means to make a living amid the GCQ.

“With Iloilo City under GCQ until May 30 and with no definite end in sight yet for the COVID-19 global pandemic, many of our constituents are still in need of any form of assistance to alleviate their plight. The two months of lockdown caused difficulty in terms of jobs, livelihood, and income. The poorest communities in Iloilo City depend on daily income to survive,” the mayor said in his letter.

The mayor added that the vulnerable sector, particularly senior citizens and persons with disability (PWDs), are even more challenged by the pandemic.

“With our vulnerable sector’s finances significantly reduced, if not wiped out, they can only rely on assistance as that provided by the SAP program,” he said.

In a press conference on Friday, Treñas emphasized that residents, especially those who lost their jobs and means of living, are still reeling despite the downgrading of the city’s quarantine status from Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) to GCQ.

“Nakit-an naton even if we go to modified GCQ or dula-an ta pa ining quarantine indi pa ni normal, indi tanan nga tawo may trabaho. Ang pumuluyo kinanglan pondo sa subong nga tiyempo nga syado gid sa pigado. Naluoy kita sa pumuluyo ta nga wala trabaho and sa mga informal sectors,” he said.

The city has more than 79,000 beneficiaries under the first tranche of the SAP program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Additional beneficiaries such as musicians and senior citizens were recently added upon recommendation of DSWD.

Treñas said the city aims to finish the distribution of financial assistance to all the SAP beneficiaries Tuesday next week.