QC approves additional budget to fund cash aid for residents excluded in SAP list

CALOOCAN CITY, April 28 (PIA) --Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte approved a second and third supplemental budget totaling P1.9 billion for 2020.

Part of the additional budget will be used for the provision of financial assistance for vulnerable sectors excluded from the national government’s Social Amelioration Program (SAP) and additional food packs for residents.

Belmonte said qualified families that were left out from the SAP will receive P4,000 cash assistance from the city government, half of the P8,000 provided under the SAP for persons whose livelihood was affected by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

“Hindi puwedeng may maiiwan. Dapat lahat ng kuwalipikado ay mabigyan ng tulong kaya inaprubahan natin ang dagdag na pondo,” Belmonte said.

"Sinikap nating maisakatuparan ito dahil marami ang nagpaabot ng kanilang hinaing sa regular na pag-iikot ko sa mga barangay upang personal na alamin ang kanilang mga pangangailangan," she added.

The P479-million fund for the second supplemental budget, which will be used for purchase of relief goods, was released by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on April 17, 2020 as the city government’s one month share from its internal revenue.

Included in the P1.43-billion third supplemental budget are the P750 million for SAP assistance, P200 million for hazard pay of barangay frontliners, P150 million for Kalingang QC financial assistance and P280 million for relief goods.

“We allocated P200 per day per person who actually worked at the barangay level,” said Belmonte, adding that barangays can give more than P200 as hazard pay if they have enough space in their respective funds.

The city government earlier allocated P750 million from its first supplemental budget amounting to P2.8 billion to cover the financial assistance to residents affected by the ECQ due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The QC government recently appealed to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for additional allocation after the agency provided just 377,584 Social Amelioration Cards (SACs) for the city.

The number provided by the DSWD will cover only about half of the estimated 723,822 families, which is projected from the 2015 Census.

The total number of families in Quezon City may be significantly higher, based on estimates coming from the barangays. (QC PAISD/PIA-NCR)

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