Release of remaining post-‘Yolanda’ cash aid for gov’t workers sought

TACLOBAN CITY, March 14 (PNA) -- The Eastern Visayas Regional Development Council has asked the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) to expedite the release of the remaining financial assistance from the President’s Social Fund (PSF) to national government workers affected by super typhoon "Yolanda" in 2013.

Evelyn Clarin, PMS Eastern Visayas head, disclosed Tuesday in a meeting that the pace of disbursement largely depend on the liquidation of funds released in the past two years.

For the 1st batch in Eastern Visayas, there were 48,955 government employees from 45 agencies identified as PSF beneficiaries, Clarin said. 

PMS records show that only 27 government offices submitted partial liquidation documents. The remaining 18 agencies have not yet submitted the requirements.

For the 2nd batch, there were 15,687 public school teachers in the region tagged as PSF recipients, with a total assistance of PHP631.25 million approved on Dec. 14, 2015.

Early last year, some PHP315.63 million was released to the education department, representing the first tranche. 

As of today, the department has not yet completed the liquidation documents for the first tranche of PSF, according to Clarin.

“The slow completion of liquidation process hampers the release of the remaining assistance,” she added.

For the 3rd batch, at least 9,091 government workers are hoping for the release of PHP447.73 million from the PSF.

However, the assistance for the last batch was no longer recommended after the change of administration mid-last year, the PMS official clarified.

In 2015, the previous administration approved the allocation of PHP2.89 billion from the PSF for 64,642 national government employees in two batches. The beneficiaries are those whose houses were wrecked by the 2013 super typhoon and the 7.2 magnitude Bohol earthquake.

Employees with totally damaged houses are entitled to PHP100,000 cash aid while those with partially damaged houses are qualified to get PHP30,000 assistance. (PNA)
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