Omnibus Guidelines in the Implementation of the Emergency Subsidy Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development

April 9, 2020

DSWD MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 9, S. 2020

OMNIBUS GUIDELINES IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EMERGENCY SUBSIDY PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT

I. RATIONALE

These Omnibus Guidelines shall serve to harmonize Memorandum Circular Nos. 04, 06, and 07, series of 2020 issued by the DSWD relative to the implementation of Emergency Subsidy Program, through its social amelioration programs, as required under Republic Act (R.A.) No. 11469 or the "Bayanihan to Heal as One Act." Memorandum Circular No. 5 remains valid and effective insofar as social amelioration program for the 4Ps beneficiaries is concerned.

II. SCOPE, COVERAGE, APPLICABILITY and EFFECTIVITY

These guidelines shall apply in the implementation of the Emergency Subsidy Program (ESP) through Social Amelioration Programs (SAP) of the DSWD in the form of Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) and Livelihood Assistance Grants (LAG) to families qualified as "low-income households," as hereinafter defined, in the areas under community quarantine, and shall remain in force for three months, coinciding with the effectivity of R.A. No. 11469: Provided, That the effectivity hereof shall ipso jure be extended upon the extension of the effectivity of R.A. No. 11469 if such law be given extension; Provided further, That the distribution of food and non-food items to the most affected individuals and families, including stranded workers and homeless individuals who are located in a Local Government Unit (LGU) due to the community quarantine, shall be continued by the DSWD upon request of the LGUs.

III. OBJECTIVES

Provide a comprehensive guidance on the implementation of AICS and LAG as interventions to aid in the provision of basic necessities, amelioration and recovery of the target beneficiaries who are deemed to suffer the greatest impact of the implementation of the community quarantine.

IV. DEFINITION OF TERMS

A. Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) — Provision of integrated services by the DSWD to individuals and families in crisis or difficult situations that serve as social safety net or stop-gap measure to support their recovery.

B. Days — For purposes of these guidelines, "days" shall include weekends.

C. Door-to-door Delivery — refers to the delivery of the social amelioration in cash, directly to the residence of the beneficiary through the LGUs, or other modes of payment;

D. Emergency Subsidy Program (ESP) — a cash subsidy granted under R.A. No. 11469, with a minimum amount of Five Thousand Pesos (PhP5,000.00) to a maximum of Eight Thousand Pesos (PhP8,000.00), based on the prevailing regional minimum wage rates, for every month for two months. The ESP shall be implemented through the Social Amelioration Programs (SAP) of concerned agencies.

E. Family — for purposes of these guidelines, it shall refer to a social unit generally composed of a father, mother, and/or children, including all individuals who live under the authority of another, and includes the domestic workers of the family; Provided, That a solo parent who has custody of his/her children is considered as family. For the purpose of these guidelines and only for the implementation of the Social Amelioration Program, the terms "household" referred to in R.A. 11469 shall be defined as "family."

F. Head of the Family — for purposes of these guidelines, it shall refer to the member of a family who is responsible in the proper consumption of the ESP;

G. Local Government Units (LGUs) — shall cover the political subdivisions of the government, i.e., province, city, municipality, and barangay; provided that their roles shall be specified in these Guidelines if particularly referring to each one of them; otherwise, they shall be referred to as LGU/LGUs to mean that anyone can act or they shall act jointly;

H. Social Amelioration Card (SAC) — a barcoded form with series numbers, distributed at the Barangay level, that captures the family profile which will be the mechanism to monitor the provision of the social amelioration programs of the government and the DSWD.

V. PROVISION OF EMERGENCY SUBSIDY IN ACCORDANCE WITH R.A. No. 11469

The Emergency Subsidy Program (ESP) shall be provided through various national and local government social amelioration programs to around 18 million families qualified as "low-income" that are most affected by the virtual economic standstill and most vulnerable to the economic slowdown resulting from the COVID-19 crisis and are how unable to earn for their daily sustenance under the stay-at-home or community quarantine conditions. The subsidy shall amount to a minimum of Five Thousand Pesos (PhP5,000.00) to a maximum of Eight Thousand Pesos (PhP8,000.00) a month for two months, to provide for basic food, medicine, toiletries, and other basic necessities. Consistent with the directive of the President and the adoption by the IATF-EID thru its Resolution No. 18, Series of 2020, the emergency subsidy shall be in the form of outright cash.

The subsidy shall be computed based on the prevailing regional minimum wage rates, taking into account the amount given under the DSWD's Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program and the rice subsidy, which is estimated at an average of PhP1,350.00 per month per family. In this regard, the national government will augment the CCT and rice subsidy with ESP to reach the herein mandated PhP5,000.00 to PhP8,000.00.

In accordance with R.A. No. 11469, the ESP shall be implemented for two months covering the months of April and May 2020. The ESP shall be distributed through any of the programs enumerated in Section 7, DSWD-DOLE-DTI-DA-DOF-DBM JMC No. 01, series of 2020, so long as the total amount from various social amelioration programs does not exceed the prescribed thresholds.

The following table provides the proposed subsidy amount per region, based on the proportion of the minimum wage rates with inclusion of the rate of ESP of the families identified under 4Ps and non-4Ps:

 

Region	Daily minimum wage in pesos	Subsidy amount in pesos per month (For Non-4Ps)	ESP given to families with members of 4Ps
NCR	PHP537.00	PHP8,000.00	PHP6,650.00
CAR	PHP350.00	PHP5,500.00	PHP4,150.00
I	PHP340.00	PHP5,500.00	PHP4,150.00
II	PHP370.00	PHP5,500.00	PHP4,150.00
III	PHP420.00	PHP6,500.00	PHP5,150.00
IV-A	PHP400.00	PHP6,500.00	PHP5,150.00
IV-B	PHP320.00	PHP5,000.00	PHP3,650.00
V	PHP310.00	PHP5,000.00	PHP3,650.00
VI	PHP395.00	PHP6,000.00	PHP4,650.00
VII	PHP404.00	PHP6,000.00	PHP4,650.00
VIII	PHP315.00	PHP5,000.00	PHP3,650.00
IX	PHP316.00	PHP5,000.00	PHP3,650.00
X	PHP365.00	PHP6,000.00	PHP4,650.00
XI	PHP396.00	PHP6,000.00	PHP4,650.00
XII	PHP326.00	PHP5,000.00	PHP3,650.00
CARAGA	PHP320.00	PHP5,000.00	PHP3,650.00
BARMM	PHP325.00	PHP5,000.00	PHP3,650.00

 

VI-A. TARGET BENEFICIARIES OF ESP

As emphasized in R.A. No. 11469, ESP shall be given to low-income families, assessed to be most affected by the imposition of community quarantine, given their existing life situations or circumstances. Target beneficiaries shall include:

1. 4Ps Beneficiaries — beneficiaries registered in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the DSWD;

2. Families with low income — those who have no incomes, low incomes, or no savings to draw from, including those who are not currently recipients of the current 4Ps, and working in the informal economy, such as but not limited to the following:

a. Directly hired or occasional worker/s — persons who are contracted to do work on an irregular basis, hired by the direct recipient of the service and whose salary is completely dependent upon the completion of the particular work for which he or she was hired (e.g.,laundry maid);

b. Subcontracted worker/s — any person who is an employee of a subcontractor, as defined by Articles 106 and 107 of the Labor Code (e.g.,pakyaw workers);

c. Homeworkers — any person who performs in or about his home, any processing of goods or materials, in whole or in part, which have been furnished directly or indirectly by an employer and thereafter to be returned to the latter (e.g.,family enterprise such as those involved in crafts making, native delicacy production, home-based food processing including those online sellers);

d. House helpers — persons defined as "kasambahay" under Section 4 (d) of R.A. 10361 or the Domestic Workers Act, who are currently not receiving any remuneration from their household of work, or who cannot report to work due to the community quarantine (e.g.,kasambahay or family driver);

e. Drivers of Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs),namely, Public Utility Jeepneys (PUJs),Public Utility Buses (PUBs),Point-to-Point (P2P) Buses, UV Express, Taxi, Shuttle Service, Tourist Transport Service, School bus service, and Transport Network Vehicle Services (TNVS) whose daily sustenance is solely dependent on the income they derived therefrom.

More, included in this category, for the purpose of the program, are the drivers of Motorcycle (MC) Taxi which are registered in the Pilot Study currently conducted by the DOTr and accredited by the three participating Transport Network Corporations, namely, Angkas, Joyride and Move it.

f. Drivers and Operators of Tricycles (TODA) and pedicabs, categorized as three-wheel public utility vehicles (PUVs),and are registered by the Local Government Units in the place where they are currently operating; provided that the tricycles, pedicabs and PUVs are their only source of income.

g. Micro-entrepreneurs and producers, operators of sari-sari stores, and the like — persons operating independent, small-scale enterprises and distributors of goods and services the scope of business or service any business activity or enterprise engaged in industry, agri-business and/or services who have: (a) an asset size, without land, of less than P100,000.00; and (b) an employment size with less than five employees;

h. Family enterprise owners — families operating or managing small businesses such as retail, food production, and vending (such as, but not limited to, owners of carinderia, fruit or vegetable vendors and vendors in streets, RTW, etc.);

i. Sub-minimum wage earners — any person who earns a wage below the statutory minimum wage rate/s, and is the sole income-earner of their family (not limited to dishwashers or helpers in carinderia);

j. Farmers — rice farmers with farm sizes ranging from 1 hectare and below and listed under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA),and other low-income marginal farmers including but not limited to coconut, sugar, vegetable farmers provided that they are not 4Ps beneficiaries and are not covered by the Social Amelioration Programs of the Department of Agriculture (DA);

k. Fisherfolks — people who earn their living by fishing and are not 4Ps beneficiaries, or those registered under the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) but will not be covered by assistance from the DA;

l. Stranded workers — refer to individuals affected by work suspension or closure who are in sites or places other than their permanent residence and unable to return home on account of the community quarantine (not limited to construction workers stranded in their respective construction site/s) provided that their respective assistance shall be provided in the place where their respective families are residing: provided further that,the stranded workers may avail of immediate assistance from any of the Government Agencies for their survival while on stranded;

3. Indigent Families of Indigenous Peoples and Other Vulnerable Groups, as determined by the DSWD, not limited to:

(a) Indigent Indigenous Peoples — are those certified as poor by the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) or the subject Field Office (FO) of the DSWD or those who are living in recognized ancestral domains whose income solely depend on subsistence economy as those engaged in indigenous means of livelihood as hunting, gathering or foraging as certified by the NCIP or tribal chieftain/council of elders or those who are informal economy workers;

(b) Underprivileged and homeless individuals — refer to individuals or families residing in urban and urbanizable areas whose income or combined household income falls within the poverty threshold as defined by the National Economic and Development Authority and who do not own housing facilities. Shall include those who live in makeshift dwelling units and do not enjoy security of tenure;

(c) Overseas Filipinos (OFs) in Distress — those who were repatriated, or who have no income or remittance from OFs due to COVID-19, or those who were banned from traveling outside the Philippines or stranded herein on account of the COVID-19 breakout thereby preventing their capacity to work abroad, from January 2020 until the lifting of the community quarantine;

(d) Other vulnerable groups — may include the following but not limited to: senior citizens, persons with disabilities, lactating and pregnant women.Provided, That in the determination of vulnerable groups, they shall be qualified as families and not as individual members such that the provision of ESP to any one of them will exclude the other members of his/her declared family in the qualification.

VI-B. EXCLUSION FROM ESP

The following families shall be excluded from receiving the ESP under these Guidelines if any of its member/s is/are:

a. Elected and Appointed government official/s (i.e.,permanent, contractual, casual, coterminous) or personnel contrasted (under Memorandum of Agreement; Cost of Service, Job Order and other similar arrangement/s) in any National Government Agency (NGA),Government-owned and Controlled Corporation, Local Government Unit and GOCCs with original charter;

b. Employees in the private sector, or those in the formal economy, including those who are employees of GOCCs without original charters, regardless of the existence of employee-employer relationship, and regardless of the fact that they are receiving salary or wage;

c. Retired individuals who are receiving pension; and

d. Families with independent financial capacity consistent with the intent of RA 11469 to provide ESP only to low income families.

VII. EMERGENCY SUBSIDY PROGRAM THROUGH DSWD SOCIAL AMELIORATION PROGRAMS

A. Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS)

An assistance in the form of outright cash that shall be provided to the target beneficiaries to assist in providing the basic needs of their families. Provided that, it shall only be given once a month for two months during the quarantine period; Provided further, that beneficiaries who already received COVID-19 Adjustment Measure Program (CAMP) Grant or Tulong Panghanapbuhay para sa Displaced/Disadvantaged Worker (TUPAD) from the Department of Labor and Employment, and other comparable assistance from other national government agencies are no longer eligible for AICS under these special guidelines for the month of April if they received the full amount of the ESP (Php5,000-8,000).If the ESP received is not in full, the DSWD, through top-up, shall provide for the variance between the Amount of Subsidy per Region and the total amount received from TUPAD or any other comparable assistance from other national government agencies, provided finally that said beneficiaries may avail of AICS in the next succeeding month(s) to complete the required subsidy.

The amount of emergency subsidy as stated in the table below, shall apply to families that are non-CCT beneficiaries:

Table 2. Number of Families and Amount of Emergency Subsidies per Region

 

REGION	NUMBER OF FAMILIES	Amount of Subsidy per Region
Total	Informal and poor/near poor
NCR	3,260,399	1,708,604	8,000.00
CAR	434,209	318,707	5,500.00
I	1,263,607	999,531	5,500.00
II	881,440	698,042	5,500.00
III	2,707,342	1,807,929	6,500.00
IV-A	3,511,076	2,249,567	6,500.00
IV-B	752,804	614,100	5,000.00
V	1,362,596	1,146,914	5,000.00
VI	1,835,555	1,472,683	6,000.00
VII	1,806,056	1,346,613	6,000.00
VIII	1,053,680	875,246	5,000.00
IX	890,346	721,841	5,000.00
X	1,111,803	892,577	6,000.00
XI	1,248,805	953,521	6,000.00
XII	1,139,025	953,853	5,000.00
BARMM	665,597	623,607	5,000.00
CARAGA	625,663	492,758	5,000.00
PH	24,550,003	17,956,093

 

1. Documentary Requirements

 For all beneficiaries, a valid ID is required upon verification of the validation team, and upon claiming the ESP. The beneficiaries may be required to submit a certificate (Attached as Annex "A") from the Barangay that they are in need assistance from the government due to the COVID-19 outbreak, in lieu of any of the certification specified in the following enumeration.

Depending on the kind of beneficiary, the following are the specific requirements:

 

BENEFICIARY/IES	SPECIFIC
HOMELESS FAMILIES AND OTHER VULNERABLE GROUPS	As applicable:   Certification from the Barangay they are located certifying that they are homeless families or belonging to other vulnerable groups, or from the CSWDO/MSWDO/PSWDO where they are currently located
INDIGENT INDIGENEOUS PEOPLES	Certification from the NCIP or the tribal chieftain/council of elders that the beneficiaries are Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and are on subsistence economy
INFORMAL WORKERS	As applicable:   Driver's License; Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association (TODA) ID; or Certification of membership from the Organization/Association; or Certificate of Public Convenience (CPC);or Certification from the Barangay/Municipality, for TODA only. Employment ID; or Kasambahay ID; or Certificate of Employment/Separation from or Suspension of Work from the employer; Proof of business; Any other proof showing employment/occupation/enterprise.
FARMERS AND FISHERFOLKS	ID or Certification issued by the DA-RABAS and BFAR, as the case may be.

 

B. Livelihood Assistance Grants (LAG)

The LAG shall be provided to assist in the economic recovery and rehabilitation of the livelihoods of the affected families after the declaration of community Quarantine is lifted.It can be used as a seed capital for new alternative income-generating activities or certain micro-enterprise ventures. Further, the grant may also be used as a support and an additional capital to the existing viable micro-enterprise of the target beneficiary, income of which had been severely affected on account of the declaration of public health emergency in the country.

The LAG can be used to support beneficiaries' needs for pre-employment requirements, with a view of augmenting the expenses to be incurred in securing documents in relation thereto, such as payment of certifications (birth certificate, NBI, etc.),food and transportation in securing pre-employment documents, employment kits, and food and transportation allowance during the first month of employment.

The assessment process for LAG may start during the community quarantine period in order to facilitate the processing and provision of LAG immediately after the lifting of the declaration of the State of Calamity. Families assessed to be eligible recipients of LAG shall be provided with the grant following the lifting of the Declaration of the State of Calamity or locally mandated community quarantine.

VIII. IMPLEMENTING GUIDELINES ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF EMERGENCY SUBSIDY PROGRAMS THROUGH DSWD SOCIAL AMELIORATION MEASURES

A. Scheme for Assistance to Individuals in Crisis (AICS)

The DSWD, in the distribution of its social amelioration programs, may resort to the most expeditious means which may include any of the following:

1. Direct cash payouts;

2. Payment through electronic or digital means;

3. Cash card payments;

4. Transfer of funds through other NGAs and LGUs; or

5. Any other mode to expedite the distribution of assistance.

Provided, That the cash payout by the LGU, shall either be through door-to-door, or per beneficiary in specified distribution point(s),where the beneficiary shall be sailed from his/her home in said location to receive the assistance. Meanwhile, the means of payout by other NGA shall solely be determined by it; Provided further, That, in the distribution of assistance, the most expeditious means shall be preferred by the DSWD; and Provided finally, That the proposed scheme must be compliant and consistent with the resolutions issued by the IATF.

B. Transfer of Funds, Payout of ESP, Validation by the DSWD and Reporting1

To facilitate the quick delivery of the urgently needed assistance to the most affected families of the areas under community quarantine, the DSWD FOs shall:

1. Immediately coordinate with the LGUs to forge a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with them. The MOA shall be signed by the DSWD Regional Director and the Local Chief Executive (LCE).LGUs shall be required to submit the budget proposals to the FO along with the signed MOA.

2. Facilitate the transfer of funds to the LGUs within twenty-four (24) hours from receipt of the LGU's signed MOA and budget proposal.

3. Upon receipt of the funds, the LGU must conduct the distribution of the ESP within five (5) calendar days, and within seven (7) calendar days for families in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA).For purposes of these guidelines, "calendar days" shall include weekends.

4. During payouts, the LGUs must ensure that the following are kept in its records:

a. Accomplished simplified SAC Forms (for the initial payout) and existing comprehensive one for the subsequent payouts, in accordance to "Item C — Family Profiling of Beneficiaries of ESP," with the attached requirements and the encoded information of SAC Forms;

b. The SAC forms from the barangay shall be covered by a master list and shall be endorsed to the DSWD FO by the C/M/PSWDO and duly noted by the LCE;

c. List of Paid Beneficiaries or Payroll signed by the beneficiaries;

d. Photocopy of the identification card with specimen signatures of the beneficiaries;

e. Photo of the beneficiary during actual receipt of the assistance/stipend. A prescribed mobile application may be provided for NCR; and

f. Certificate of Payment duly signed by the authorized official of the LGU concerned.

5. Within fifteen (15) calendar days from the completion of the distribution of the ESP, the LGU shall submit to the DSWD FOs the encoded SAC Forms in accordance with the DSWD-prescribed matrix.

After the initial payout and for every payout thereafter, the SAC shall be updated by the LGU staff to reflect the assistance received by the beneficiaries under any government agency's social amelioration programs.

6. The DSWD shall conduct validation within fifteen (15) days from receipt of documents enumerated in the preceding paragraphs. The DSWD shall determine the following: (a) eligibility of the beneficiaries; and (b) duplication in the benefits granted.

6.1. In cases of ineligibility of the paid beneficiary, the DSWD shall inform the LGU within seventy-two (72) hours from discovery.

"Ineligibility" shall pertain to families not qualified to receive the ESP as those families excluded per "Item VI-B Exclusion from the ESP";or families lacking the elements of legitimacy and proof of authenticity, as required in these guidelines.

LGU officials who will give ESP to ineligible beneficiaries will be subjected to investigation by competent authorities for proper determination of administrative, civil and/or criminal liability, including the refund of the subsidy improperly provided, as the case may be.

6.2. In cases of duplication in the ESP, the family shall be disqualified from receiving the next tranche of the cash assistance.

7. No additional funds may be transferred to the LGUs until they have submitted a liquidation report for the earlier fund releases.

C. Family Profiling of Beneficiaries of ESP

During the conduct of the payout, the beneficiaries will be profiled through the use of a Social Amelioration Card (SAC). The SAC shall be the mechanism to monitor the eligible families in receiving any social amelioration programs from any government agency, including the DSWD, during this COVID-19 crisis and other similar emergency situations in accordance with the provisions of R.A. No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012. However, this shall not be a prerequisite for the transfer of funds, as the case may be, but will only be employed by the DSWD for monitoring purposes or to ensure that there will be no duplication of assistance given to the same beneficiaries, fraudulent payments.

Registration/Enrollment in the SAC and the generation of list of eligible beneficiaries shall be done as follows:

a. The identified personnel of the LGU will conduct a house-to-house distribution of the simplified SAC forms to be manually accomplished by the head of the family. SAC forms shall be given to non-CCT target beneficiaries. The existing, comprehensive forms shall likewise be distributed to be used as a verification and monitoring tool for the subsequent payouts;

b. Should there be multiple families in a single house or residence, each head of the family shall execute his or her own SAC form for his or her family;

c. The Barangay personnel, together with a validation team from any of the representatives of the LGUs-Province/City/Municipality, DSWD, DILG, PNP or AFP shall collect the accomplished SAC forms and verify the details on the spot to determine the eligibility; and

d. The LGU shall prepare the payroll for the payout.

D. Workforce Complement

Staff of the LGU and members of the AFP and PNP shall act as workforce complement before, during, and after the distribution of cash assistance.

The DSWD shall assist the LGUs to ensure the timely provision of the assistance. In the exigency of service, the Central Office (CO) of the DSWD may augment workforce to the Field and SWAD Satellite Offices upon timely request.

E. Payout by LGUs and Liquidation of Transferred Funds

The LGUs must ensure the submission of the following liquidation and financial reporting documents to the DSWD within fifteen (15) days from the completion of the distribution:

a. Report of checks (ROC) issued or report of disbursements (ROD) duly certified by the LGU accountant and approved by the LCE; and

b. Copy of Official Receipt for any refund of unutilized balance.

F. Monitoring by the DSWD

The DSWD shall have the following responsibilities:

a. Personnel will be sent to the areas of the payout as deemed necessary, along with the LGU representatives to validate the details and other information necessary upon the collection of SAC Forms;

b. Review, monitor and facilitate submission and consolidation of the report such as the registry of beneficiaries and data on the number of beneficiaries served or unserved;

c. Require the submission of liquidation report from the LGUs within fifteen (15) working days from the completion of the distribution;

d. Prepare the necessary (transmittal) report based on the documents submitted by the LGUs; and

e. Within fifteen (15) days from submission of the liquidation report, the LGU shall refund all unutilized/disallowed amounts upon submission of the liquidation report, without the necessity of demand from the DSWD.

G. Livelihood Assistance Grant (LAG)

1. Eligibility Assessment

a. All eligible families shall undergo the process/es required by the DSWD for the release of LAG, which, taking into account the declaration of community quarantine or the state of calamity, shall be facilitated with urgency;

b. The LAG will only be provided to families having at least one (1) member who is an informal economy worker and whose livelihood, occupation, or work, has been affected by the declaration of state of calamity;

c. All target families should have been profiled using the SAC and should be included in the list of families certified by the LGU;

d. The DSWD shall assess the eligibility of the families. Only those families found eligible by the DSWD shall be included in the list of families to be granted by LAG; Provided that, families that received ESP in the maximum amount allowed under R.A. No. 11469, may still be eligible for LAG.

2. Cost Parameter

The maximum amount of LAG per eligible family shall not exceed Fifteen Thousand Pesos (PHP15,000.00),and shall only be provided once.

3. Processing of Funds for LAG

The SLP Regional Program Management Office (SLP-RPMO) through the Regional Program Coordinator shall prepare a protect proposal with the list of eligible families with supporting documents as minimum attachment. The proposal shall be approved by the Regional Director or his/her authorized officer.

4. Release of LAG

a. The LAG may be released to the beneficiary, either in cash;

b. Each beneficiary shall present at least one (1) original or certified true copy of government-issued ID in claiming the grants;

c. Only the grant recipient is authorized to receive the LAG. However in extreme or unavoidable circumstances, the grant recipient may issue "authorization letter or special power of attorney (SPA)" to any legal-age member of his/her family. The representative must present the signed authorization or SPA with his/her and the grant recipient's valid ID; and

d. The release of LAG can be through door-to-door or on a designated site of pay-out, or through any mode that is most convenient and safe for both the staff and beneficiaries.

5. Monitoring

 The beneficiaries shall be monitored on the progress of their projects funded by LAG, by the LGUs, and the DSWD.

IX. ROLE OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE

In reference to the pronouncement of the President and in coordination with the IATF-EID, the DSWD may request the AFP and the PNP to perform the following functions:

1. To secure the area identified by the DSWD or LGU where social amelioration activities shall take place;

2. To accompany, secure and assist the DSWD and/or LGU representatives in the exercise of their functions as provided for in these guidelines;

3. To lend technical assistance to further effectuate the social amelioration provisions of these guidelines; and

4. To provide land, air, and sea assets to transport DSWD and LGU personnel and goods for the purpose of delivery of assistance to the beneficiaries.

X. ROLE OF THE LGUs

The LGUs shall perform the following:

1. Facilitate the execution of the required MOA and abide by their roles and responsibilities as stated therein;

2. Provide the list of target beneficiaries/clients as stated above;

3. Facilitate distribution accomplishment and encoding of SAC forms;

4. Facilitate the preparation and approval of the payroll;

5. Ensure the timely delivery of payment to the beneficiaries based on the approved payroll;

6. Monitor the delivery of assistance as stated below;

7. Submit liquidation reports within fifteen (15) working days from the completion of the distribution; and

8. Perform other actions or undertake activities consistent with the provisions of these Guidelines.

Other scheduled distributions by the LGUs shall be immediately postponed upon the lifting of declaration of the community quarantine. All undisbursed funds shall be liquidated within a period of fifteen (15) days from the lifting of declaration of the community quarantine.

For purposes of these guidelines, the Provincial Government shall assist the DSWD in the monitoring of the implementation of these guidelines. Provided that, the DSWD may seek the assistance of the Provincial Government in the direct implementation of the ESP.

XI. GRIEVANCE MECHANISM

Grievances related to the program implementation will be managed and monitored by the DSWD Central Office-Operation Center (DSWD-CO OC),following the guidelines to be subsequently issued.

There shall also be a dedicated hotline for PWDs and Senior Citizens to take into consideration their special needs. Mobile numbers (Smart, Globe, and Sun) and Facebook accounts for Regional Offices shall also be set up for accessibility and convenience.

There shall also be mobile and web-based applications consolidating all information and details relevant to the Social Amelioration members including the database of recipients for transparency. The app shall similarly function as a venue to lodge grievances.

The DSWD-CO OC through the 24/7 hotline: (02-8) 951-2803 loc. 8892 will receive complaints and ensure proper referencing and reporting to the concerned office for validation and/or investigation. The concerned office is required to respond to the said report within twenty-four (24) hours from receipt.

Complaints and grievances shall be directly reported to and addressed by the Regional Director or his or her representative. The DSWD-CO OC shall be informed of all grievances received and addressed by the FOs.

XII. APPEAL SYSTEM

Families not among those expressly excluded under Item VI-B of these guidelines but were not included in the list of families eligible to receive ESP, for any reason, shall have three (3) calendar days from the day of the payout or distribution in their barangay within which to seek a reconsideration from the P/C/MSWDO for their inclusion in the list of beneficiaries.

The P/C/MSWDO of the province/city/municipality where he/she resides shall immediately forward said consolidated appeals to the Office of the Regional Director of the DSWD or to the Operations Department of DSWD Central Office, as the case may be, which shall then evaluate said appeal and rule on the same within three (3) calendar days from receipt thereof.

XIII. REPEALING CLAUSE

This Circular repeals the provisions of Memorandum Circular Nos. 04, 06, and 07 on Emergency Subsidy Program that are inconsistent herewith; provided that, all provisions pertaining to the continued implementation of Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens and Supplementary Feeding Program shall remain valid and effective.

XIV. EFFECTIVITY CLAUSE

This Circular shall be in effect upon signing and shall remain in full force for three (3) months and will coincide with the effectivity of RA 11469. Provided that, the effectivity hereof shall be automatically extended corresponding to the extension of the law.

Signed on the 9th day of April 2020, in Quezon City.

(SGD.) ROLANDO JOSELITO D. BAUTISTA

Secretary

ANNEX A

Certificate from the Barangay

Republic of the Philippines)

CERTIFICATION

This is to certify that ____________________________ (Full Name) is a resident of ________________________________________ (Complete Address, Age,Civil Status),is in need of _____________________ (Kind of Assistance) assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development due to the declaration of State of Calamity/imposition of Community Quarantine.

NAME OF PUNONG BARANGAYPUNONG BARANGAY

 

Footnotes

1. See Flow Chart as Annex B as reference.