MANILA, Philippines — Local government officials are advised to appeal the number of recipients for financial assistance if they find discrepancies in Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) list of cash aid beneficiaries in their areas, an official of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Wednesday.

“Alam ko po pwedeng gawin ng barangay officials at local government officials ay ilista na nila itong mga ito (discrepancies) at ipadala sa DSWD at kinocompile lahat yan. Kung baga meron tayong appeal process,” DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said over dzMM.

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(I think what the barangay officials and local government officials can do is make a list and send it to the DSWD and they will compile that. This means we will have an appeal process.)

Malaya issued the advice as some local government units decried that the number of cash recipients in their areas have been reduced from the original number. The Metro Manila Council, composed of 17 mayors of the National Capital Region (NCR), previously urged the DSWD-NCR to reinstate the original number of cash aid recipients due to the supposedly reduced number of beneficiaries.

Malaya explained that the DSWD’s basis for the social amelioration program, government’s financial assistance to poor Filipinos amid the COVID-19 crisis, was the Department of Finance’s 2015 consensus because the 2020 consensus, which should be used as the basis for the cash aid, was not finished due to the coronavirus disease pandemic, Malaya said.

Malaya also advised that local government officials should also prioritize the cash assistance to the poorest so that financial aid for poor families affected by the coronavirus disease crisis will not be delayed.

“Ayaw natin madelay sana yung pagbaba ng pondo dun sa mga nangangailangan. Kung baga magkakaroon ng prioritization si kapitan tapos yung iba ipapadala sa DSWD for additional funding,” he said.

(We don’t want the delivery of cash aid for the poor families to be delayed. Barangay captains can have a prioritization then other beneficiaries can be included in a list sent to DSWD.)

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