EDITORIAL - Stealing from the needy

Some officials are accused of playing favorites, giving priority to relatives and friends in aid distribution at the expense of qualified beneficiaries. Other officials are accused of pocketing cash aid.

With mounting complaints about the distribution of the emergency cash assistance under the Social Amelioration Program, the government is readying criminal charges for corruption against at least 183 barangay officials who were part of the SAP distribution.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government said the P30,000 reward offered by President Duterte for anyone who identifies public officials involved in irregularities in the SAP distribution might have led to a flood of complaints reaching the DILG. The Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group is carrying out the probe.

After the identification of the barangay officials, the next step must be to make sure that prosecution is pursued and justice is carried out. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic is not the only crisis calling for the distribution of government aid in this country. Even as the COVID-19 threat persists, the country will be facing typhoons, floods, and possibly earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. If those tasked to distribute the COVID aid are seen to get away with the misuse of the SAP, it could promote impunity in the anomalous handling of government aid.

Among the complaints hurled against the officials, according to the DILG, are the falsification of SAP application forms, the collection of “processing fees” for the aid, and the splitting of financial assistance. In places where aid in kind has been distributed, there are complaints of barangay officials keeping relief packs for themselves. Still others are accused of swapping grocery products with cheaper items, such as uncooked spaghetti with instant noodles, or distributing spoiled rice.

While the P30,000 reward is an incentive for reporting, the government could get a broader picture of abuses if more information is disseminated on how people can forward complaints without fear of retaliation. Most of the complainants are from impoverished communities, where barangay officials can behave like political warlords. The amounts involved can be considerable, and it’s not farfetched to believe that some crooked village officials may even resort to violence to cover up their misdeeds. Only the certainty of punishment will deter these officials from stealing from the needy in this crisis.