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The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Central Visayas started implementing the Emergency Subsidy Program (ESP) under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or the Republic Act No. 11494 as the agency’s response and recovery intervention to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Emergency Subsidy Program (ESP) beneficiaries from Tubigon, Bohol under granular lockdown receive their subsidy. Photo courtesy of LGU Tubigon.

The target beneficiaries under ESP are the following: affected low-income families in areas under granular lockdown, those qualified families, but were not granted SAP 1 and SAP 2 subsidies under RA No. 11469, and recently returned overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who belong to low-income families and are physically residing in areas under granular lockdown.

As of December 9, 2020, a total of 10,132 low-income families already received their emergency cash subsidy worth Php 6,000.00 each, which amounted to Php 60,792,000.00

Out of the 10,132 families, 525 beneficiaries living in areas under “granular lockdown” since September 14 who were granted Php 6,000.00 each and were from Trinidad, Tubigon, and San Miguel in Bohol and Zamboanguita in Negros Oriental.

The DSWD Field Office VII has also provided ESP to 9,607 beneficiaries to those families who were not included in the earlier implementation of SAP.

Regional Director Rebecca Geamala stressed that the Bayanihan 2 is not to be interpreted as SAP 3 or successor of SAP 1 and SAP 2 under the already-lapsed Bayanihan to Heal As One Act or the Republic Act No. 11469.

“The final certified list of beneficiaries shared by the Local Chief Executive (LCE) used in the implementation of the ESP of the DSWD shall be the primary reference of the eligible beneficiaries,” added Director Geamala.

Using the final certified list, the concerned local government units (LGUs) shall identify the beneficiaries based on the eligibility criteria and who are physically residing within all levels of granular lockdown like barangay, block, street, subdivision/village, residential building, or house.

The Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), Livelihood Assistance Grant (LAG), Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP), Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens (SocPen), and distribution of food and non-food items are also implemented under Bayanihan 2, aside from the ESP. ###

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