DSWD-6 to rallyists: “We’re not remiss on housing aid”

CEBU, Philippines - Thousands of protesters on Monday have started camping out in front of the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Region 6 office, vowing to stay there for five days, complaining against the agency’s alleged lack of response to the needs of super typhoon Yolanda survivors.

In response to these allegations, DSWD-6 director Ma. Evelyn Macapobre said her office has never been remiss of its duty and that it has so far released P3 billion in emergency shelter assistance, relief assistance, cash-for-work and livelihood projects to beneficiaries in Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, Antique, Negros Occidental and Guimaras provinces.

“We respect their right to peaceful assembly,” Macapobre said as she answered point-by-point the issues raises by the rallyists.

On their demand to scrap Memorandum Circular 24, or the Guidelines for ESA Implementation in Yolanda Affected Areas, Macapobre clarified that “all services of the DSWD have eligibility requirements and for ESA for the Yolanda victims. These are spelled out in MC 24.”.

The MC24 has been the basis of the DSWD in releasing ESA, and this will be used by the Commission on Audit in post-auditing such huge amount of disbursement. “We will be in a very difficult situation if we do not follow the guideline,” Macapobre said.

The DSWD-6 field office, as an implementing arm of the Central Office, could not overrule or scrap an order from the DSWD secretary. Yolanda-affected regions could not adopt a different guideline in ESA implementation, she said, while assuring the rallyists that their sentiments will be relayed to the secretary.

Macapobre also debunked reports of slow release of ESA. “For ESA alone, we have released nearly P1.7 billion to local government units. Although the budget was only downloaded on December 29, 2014, we have reached 105,000 families in a short span of time,” she said.

“Regular employees of the government and private sectors/organizations with fix monthly salary below P15,000 shall also be eligible, provided they have not received the same assistance from other agencies and are indicated in the masterlist of beneficiaries in accordance with the DSWD Disaster Assistance Family Access Card,” she said.

Macapobre said that, as soon as funds will be downloaded to DSWD by the Department of Budget and Management, we could also release fast the assistance to the LGUs “provided the latter has completed the documents required.”

On Monday, the DSWD-6 said it has released a total of P1.4 billion in ESA for Yolanda survivors in Western Visayas. The ESA is a cash grant provided to families whose houses are either totally or partially damaged. The fund will help them purchase housing materials for the repair and reconstruction of their damaged houses.

Under the ESA, the rate of assistance is P30,000 per family or individual beneficiary with “totally destroyed” houses, and P10,000 for those with “partially damaged” houses. (FREEMAN)