Title : The effects of delays in the SAP distribution to the SAP beneficiaries of Barangay Abgao, Maasin

City ️

The Filipino Family is the basic unit of society. It varies in the number of members and the
systems it uses to get by in life. The National Development Authority (NEDA) published a study that
revealed that a family of 5 typically uses up 42,000 pesos a month to have a comfortable life. A house, a
secure job, a secure food supply and amenities are the needs a Filipino family has to have (NEDA).

Currently, what is certain is that, COVID-19 – is an infectious disease caused by a severe acute
respiratory syndrome coronavirus. A new stain of virus first detected in Wuhan, China in the last quarter
of 2019 has profoundly shaken the basic fundamentals in our society. The Philippines has witnessed the
swift and merciless impact of C0VID-19. In March 2020, The World Health Organization (WHO) has
characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic due to the exponential increase of the number of cases in more
than 100 countries. This pandemic has made it clear that it knows no social class, race, gender or even
age. The COVID-19 pandemic is far more than a health crisis: it is affecting societies and economies at
their core. It has reached and affected the most and advanced as well as the poorest countries but the
most glaring difference is in the manner of their respective governments to manage the containment
and the isolation of the disease. The governments of both the strongest and the weakest nations have
been facing the problem of how to reach a proper balance of controlling the movements of the peoples
and to continue with the functioning of the economy or the balance between the virtual and actual
economic activities.

Assessing the impacts of the COVID-19 crises on societies, economies and vulnerable groups is
fundamental to inform and tailor responses of governments and partners to recover from the crises and
ensure that no one is left behind. Immediate development response in this crises must be undertaken
with an eye to the future. On March 25, 2020, PRRD signed the Republic Act (R.A.) 11469 or The
Bayanihan to Heal as One Act which gave him additional powers to handle the outbreak of COVID-19 for
3 months (March 25-June24, 2020). This was after both Houses of Congress (no session because they are
on vacation) had an emergency sessions to act and give the President additional powers.

One of the primary features of this law is the government’s step to give qualified families a sum
of money ranging from P5,000-P8,000 depending on the region’s wage rate. This is famously known as
the Social Amelioration Program (SAP). This cash subsidy aims to give the Filipino family a chance to get
by as the country battles the Pandemic. The system of making sure that this program runs as planned is
done by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)

As the progression of the program went along, several glitches and problems arose. This
included the slow delivery of the subsidy, the manipulation of the master list by incumbent local officials
and many others which has left majority of the country wanting more.

In Abgao, Maasin City, the Social Amelioration Program also has taken root. Families have also
known and (some) have received. However, delays also have casted a shadow over the conduct of the
said program which has, in a way, affected the lives of the people who need it in a number of ways
especially because the COVID-19 Pandemic and its adverse effects continue to drag on.