Several Manila barangays have yet to receive COVID-19 cash aid

Several barangays in Manila have yet to receive any cash aid under the government’s social amelioration program since the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

According to Emil Sumangil’s report on “24 Oras,” this included the 500 families of Barangay 765 in San Andres Bukid.

“Unang ayuda, P16,000 sayang din ‘yun. Malaking bagay para sa pamilya ko. Tapos ngayon, another P4,000 na naman. Wala na naman kaming makukuha ni isa. So papaano naman kami?” Pinky De Guzman, a resident, asked.

[The first cash aid was P16,000, we missed out. It would have been a big help for my family. Now, there’s another P4,000. But we still won’t get anything. Is there no one looking out for us?]

The barangay was among the 34 barangays in Manila that Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno previously said did not submit a list of beneficiaries for the cash assistance

“‘Yang mga barangay official na hindi nag-submit ng listahan dati. Ibig sabihin walang pakialam na chairman, ibibigay namin sa inyo ‘yan,” Moreno said.

[Those are the barangay officials that did not submit their lists. This means the chairmen don’t care. We will give you their names.]

However, Barangay 765 chairman Marnie Buluag said that no personnel from the Department of Social Welfare and Development visited the barangay to hand out SAP forms and to get the list of beneficiaries.

“Kung sila lumapag makikita nila ang katayuan ng barangay. Makikita nila, mga different area. Meron din diyan, meron din doon,” Buluag said.

[If they visited here, they would see the state of the barangay. They would see the different areas.]

The barangay was coordinating with the DSWD.

Though the aid had been approved, Buluag said only 100 would be given aid out of the 554 families in the barangay.

Meanwhile, Barangays 670 and 755 in Vito Cruz also did not receive any aid as they were not classified as poor.

“Laging sinasabi ng DSWD is middle class daw ‘yung barangay. Sabi ko nga mag interview muna sa mga tao dito para malaman nila. Kasi nung nakita sabi puro building dito tapos puro bato ‘yung bahay,” Barangay 755 Chairman Alvin Angeles said.

[The DSWD always says that the barangay is middle class. I told them to talk with residents first to get information. They said it’s because most of the structures were buildings while the houses were made of concrete.]

— Joahna Lei Casilao/DVM, GMA News