DIPOLOG CITY, Zamboanga del Norte, Sept. 14 (PIA) - The distribution of the second tranche of the Social Amelioration Program is about to end as per report from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

DSWD Spokesperson Irene Dumlao said about P82.6 billion were already distributed to 13.8 million family beneficiaries, including the 1.3 million beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in ECQ areas and 6 million low-income non-4Ps families; 3.2 million wait listed low-income non 4Ps and 1.8 million wait listed families in ECQ areas.

"Add to this the 169,000 TNVS and PUV drivers' families in the whole country and 72,000 TNVS/PUV drivers in ECQ areas based on Executive Order 112 series of 2020 and the Memorandum from the Executive Secretary dated May 2," said Dumlao.

She said the agency continues the delivery of services from its other programs to those affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

Mayor Roselyn Silva of Imelda town, Zamboanga Sibugay who served as guest of the Laging Handa Network Briefing hosted by PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar inquired to DSWD if there will still be another tranche for families who were not listed in the initial distribution, especially in their area with only about 2,546 beneficiaries listed to have receive the cash aid out of its 20,000 total population.

In response, Spokesperson Dumlao explained wait listed families are added in the SAP per certification by their respective LGUs proving that they are qualified but were not included in the first tranche.

"The certified list of the LGUs was the basis of DSWD to include them in the second tranche," she said.

In the re-validation of 4Ps beneficiaries, DSWD have municipal links, social welfare assistance and grievance officers in the regions which the LGUs can approach.

"Our municipal links and grievance officers will conduct a validation, we'll have a case assessment and case conference involving our partners from the LGUs then if they are not qualified, the necessary action will be accorded," stressed Dumlao.

DSWD is also conducting a Listahanan, which identifies who in the community is included in the poorest of the poor.

"The entire community is involved in validating the list. We have parameters set to measure if one household is eligible to be included in the program," she concluded. (NBE/EDT/PIA9-Zamboanga del Norte)