The Social Amelioration Program (SAP) is an amelioration and welfare scheme for the sugar

workers derived from the contribution of the millers and planters which started in the early
1970's and was institutionalized through Presidential Decree No. 621 and enhanced through the
enactment of Republic Act No. ... of sugar.
Beneficiaries of the program include families of drivers of Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs), such
as Public Utility Jeepneys (PUJ), UV Express (UVE), Public Utility Buses (PUB), Point-to-Point
Buses (P2P), Taxis, Transport Network Vehicle Services (TNVS), School Transport, and
Motorcycle (MC) Taxis.

https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/4/18/dilg-barangays-list-social-amelioration-programs-
transparency.html

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 18) – The Department of Interior and Local
Government ordered on Saturday all barangay captains to create a list of social
amelioration program beneficiaries for transparency purposes.

DILG Secretary Eduardo Año stressed the SAP beneficiaries’ list must be posted in
conspicuous public places, most preferably in barangay halls.

“We want the process of identifying the target beneficiaries under the SAP to be
transparent. Hence, we have directed all our punong barangays to post the masterlist of
beneficiaries in strategic areas in their barangays so that the residents will also be
informed if they will receive the said financial assistance from the government,” said
Año in a statement.

Año emphasized the importance of having a master list of SAP beneficiaries, fully
disclosed by barangay heads, will give the residents a chance for feedback if they think
they should be part of the list.

“Kung mayroon mang kulang o mali sa listahan, maaari itong aksyunan

ng city o municipal government o ipagbigay-alam sa DSWD,” he said.

[Translation: If anything is missing or wrong with the list, it can be acted upon by the city
or municipal government or notified to DSWD.]

The ₱200 billion social amelioration program was instituted by the national government
through the Bayanihan to Heal as One law. The Department of Social Welfare and
Development was tasked to administer the distribution of the emergency subsidies to
indigent families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

The emergency subsidy program is intended solely for low-income families with at least
one member belonging to the informal economy and most vulnerable sectors of the
society, whose entire family totally lost their source of income during the implementation
of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine.
 Qualified families will receive ₱5,000 to ₱8,000 monthly allowance for two months under
the DSWD social amelioration program.

As of April 15, DSWD said it has already provided over ₱67 billion worth of subsidies to
1,239 local government units.

Since the program started its implementation last March 30, some indigent residents and
LGUs complained of the slow distribution of the emergency subsidy by the DSWD.

To expedite the process of distributing the cash aid to eligible families, the Social
Department requested LGUs to pull from their own funds in easing the distribution of cash
assistance to families who haven’t received their emergency subsidy.

The DSWD also assured that LGUs may request for additional funding in order to cover
those who were not included in the first tranche of SAP financial assistance released
earlier this month.

 
PHOTO BY ISTOCK
 With the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) extended until
April 30 and with no definite end in sight yet for the COVID-19 global pandemic,
many Filipinos are counting on the government for financial help. This is where
its Social Amelioration Program (SAP) comes in.
SAP is a cash emergency subsidy program (ESP) for 18 million Filipino families
whose lives are greatly affected by the ECQ. It's mandated by the new law,
the Bayanihan To Heal As One Act, which was signed by the President last March 25,
2020. 
The program is headed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD), in cooperation with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE),
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Agriculture (DA),
Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), and
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). 

The first wave of the SAP cash assistance has been distributed to qualified families
but has raised several reactions and questions. The talk has even evolved into a debate
about who's considered middle class or lower class. But here is an explainer how SAP
works based on information the government has released. 
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How much is SAP's cash assistance

The Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1. Series 2020, signed by the implementing
departments, states that each qualified family can receive at least Php5,000 up to
Php8,000 per month for two months for basic food, medicine, and toiletries. The
amount varies, depending on the prevailing regional minimum wage rates and takes
into account the other subsidy programs in cash or in-kind, under the DSWD. 
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