SENATE President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto on Monday prodded the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to distribute the P10 billion unreleased fund in the second Bayanihan Law as cash aid to poor families under the Special Amelioration Program (SAP). “If under the worst case scenario it can be given late November, then it can qualify as a Christmas ayuda (assistance),” Recto said. The senator said Filipinos face a bleak Christmas and “some monetary cheer from the government will go a long way.”He said that the government’s Christmas aid can be coursed through several platforms, not just SAP. “For PUV drivers, it can be in the form of service contracts in which drivers are given a fixed amount for ferrying passengers,” Recto said. Some aid does not entail cash, like the privilege to work again, he said.

Source: Manila Times September 28, 2020 13:48 UTC