DSWD checks list of PHP2-B 'Yolanda' cash aid recipients

TACLOBAN CITY, Feb. 3 (PNA) -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is coming up with a clean list of beneficiaries of shelter aid to ensure that only qualified supertyphoon Yolanda survivors will get the cash assistance.

The validation focuses on the double entry of names, correct spellings, and if a recipient has not received any housing assistance from the government after the monster typhoon.

The DSWD have been explaining the criteria and the mechanics to local government to facilitate the validation of some 62,196 claimants from Eastern Visayas region.

President Rodrigo Duterte released the PHP2 billion to the DSWD after the third year commemoration of the Yolanda tragedy last Nov. 8, 2016.

On his visit to the city last Jan. 25, the President asked Secretary Judy Taguiwalo why the new cash assistance of PHP5,000 has not been released to the survivors.

Marita Pimentel, DSWD central office director for field operations said the timeline is to submit the final list to the Office of the President by Feb. 10 this year.

Pimentel, however, emphasizes that there would be no additional lists submitted beyond the Yolanda's third anniversary celebration, whereby Pres. Duterte made the pronouncement.

She said the last count was 194,000, with over 61,000 claimants coming from Eastern Visayas.

The DSWD official said that those who will have access to the grant are those from the list submitted by non-government organizations and people's organizations, the list of unfunded emergency shelter assistance beneficiaries submitted to the Department of Budget and Management, and those grievances validated by the DSWD.

Of course, those identified for shelter assistance from the government or have already acquired housing, will be excluded from the benefit, she pointed out.

The DSWD is finalizing on the mechanism, adding that the funds from the Office of the President will be coursed through the DSWD and then go direct to Landbank.

For conditional cash transfer beneficiaries who are included in the list, there would be no problem as they have the cash card.

The beneficiaries of the new cash grant will come from the Yolanda corridors or the provinces affected from Eastern Visayas, Panay, Cebu and Palawan.(PNA)
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