Sigmund C.
Taggueg ABM MARX
Social Amelioration Program :
The 3 sides of a spinning coin.
Covid 19 - an invisible
enemy that causes a loss of
fortune to the rich, death
sentence to the poor, crash
land to our economy, and
an exposé to the
government.
Ever since the
implementation of the
lockdown, pretty much every
single establishment is forced
to shut down temporarily.
Filipinos are obliged to stay
home, mass gatherings are
prohibited and jobs are on
halt. To the average-high
income class staying at home
is as easy as watching TV
and fighting boredom all day.
But to the low-income class
and the work to play
employees, the lockdown
seemingly gave them the
choice to risk being infected
or die from starvation.
As a response to this
situation the government
launched the Social
Amelioration Program. To
which it is tasked to give an
ample amount of money to
its target 18 million low-
income families. Its amount
varies from 4,000 to 8,000
depending on the region and
the qualifications but all
serving the purpose of
purchasing common goods
and necessities to survive. It
is through the leadership of
the Department of Social
Welfare and Development
(DSWD) and other
concerned government
agencies. Just a few weeks
after the start of its
distribution, headlines and
complaints concerning the
process and beneficiaries
started to pop up. Instead of
pointing fingers in who’s at
fault it’s better to put our
focus in understanding the
concerns of all the sides
involved.
What’s happening on the
sender side (government)?
What’s happening to the
receiver side (beneficiaries)
And how does the coin
spins (process)?
True Colors shining
through
The SAP does its
job to say the least. Help the
low class and Use the tax
money for the benefit of the
people. However, it does
come with a set of flaws
particularly on the list of the
beneficiaries. This is
because the DSWD is using
a list from 2015. That is
almost 5 years ago. But to
be fair they’re coordinating
with the LGUs to update its
list.
This leads to the
next problem, corrupt
government officials. It
doesn’t matter if the funds
are complete and full if the
ones who are distributing
are tainted with corruption.
News about public servants
stealing from the funds is
already showing. Even here
in my hometown, two
EDITORIAL
civilians died after having a
clash with the local
government officials. They
didn’t die by gun or brutal
force rather they took their
own lives for having to
experience the injustice of
the distribution of the funds.
The Social
Amelioration Program
works well if executed well.
Such corrupt officials halt
and disrupt the flow of
money for the people they
are supposed to be serving.
Corrupting public money is
vile on its own but
corrupting public money on
a state of emergency like the
pandemic now is a whole
new level of wickedness.
Further showing the true
colors they are hell-bent to
hide.
How the Coin Spins
Having a sender
and a receiver, it’s
important to take note of the
process it follows. The
funds come from the taxes
and reserves of the
government. Distributed by
the government agencies to
the Regions, followed by
the Local Government Units
and then to the end-
receivers. It’s a lengthy
process where the money
falls to the hands of a
number of people before
reaching its beneficiaries.
Though this improves the
identification of the
beneficiaries, such a process
makes it vulnerable to
corruption.
There can be
situations where officials
add their relatives or friends
to the list even though
they’re not qualified in the
first place. It can also take
place in lines, where those
who are close to the top get
prioritized and have some
sort of special treatment.
SAP’s progress can not only
be dirtied by the officials
but also the citizens. There
are tendencies and
unreported times where
such citizens exploit their
connections to skip the
waiting game.
The process can go
both ways but to make it
work better, the integrity of
the higher-ups and discipline
of the citizens must be
observed.
On the Hands of the
Beneficiaries
Now that almost
half of the target beneficiaries
already received the money.
It all comes down to how
they use it. The government
intends it to be used for staple
goods and necessities in order
to survive but the decision
making will always come
down to the receiver. On the
good side, people use it to
buy the necessities. However
on the flip side some people
use it for recreation. News
about a woman who got
caught violating the curfew to
get her hair rebonded while
using the money stormed the
internet.
There are also cases
where people use it to buy
alcohol and illegal drugs.
Yes, we can say that it’s their
money; they can do whatever
they want with it. That is true
but it must be kept in mind
that its purpose is to supply
them food and necessities.
Chances are after they waste
it from useless things they’ll
get to protest and complaint
to why the government
forsakes them etc. The
senders of the SAP may be
flawed, its process can be
tinted but once it reaches the
hands of the beneficiaries
than it must be used wisely.
With the Social
Amelioration Program going
full circle for its purpose. All
the people involved in
making it work should have
unity. So that the taxpayer’s
money won’t go to waste
As long as there’s no cure for
the pandemic the funds will
continue to deplete, health
workers will continue to be at
risk of death, and things will
never come back the way it
used to be. This is not only a
health structure reset; it’s also
an economic and hopefully a
change in the government
and its citizens. What to do to
help? Stay at home and be a
mindful obedient.