The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has moved anew the deadline for the distribution of the first tranche of the social amelioration program to May 10.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said high-density areas had encountered bottlenecks in the distribution of cash aid, including verifying and validating qualified recipients.
Año said he expected 80 percent of the first tranche to be handed out by the end of the day, and the remaining 20 percent to be completed by May 10.
This was the second time for the deadline to be extended. The initial deadline was set on April 30, but was later extended to May 7.
The DILG had maintained that the second tranche of aid won’t be released until the first one was completed.
The League of Cities of the Philippines, the League of Municipalities of the Philippines and the Metro Manila Development Authority had appealed for a deadline extension.
“We have received reports from our field offices na kahit na 24/7 ang pamimigay ng ayuda ay nahihirapan talagang ma-meet ang May 7 deadline lalo na ‘yung mga nasa Metro Manila. We are therefore giving them until May 10 para ma-kompleto lahat ‘yan,” Año said in a statement.
Año said on the ABS-CBN News Channel that 77.51 percent or 985 of 1,624 localities have completed the distribution. John Ezekiel J. Hirro