Dinky warns candidates not to use DSWD and its programs for their campaign

DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman and DSWD Director Restituto Macuto during the inauguration of the newly constructed footbridge connecting Brgy Minohang ang Bgry Balud, Barugo Leyte



By: Lottie Salarda

Tacloban City – The Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Dinky Soliman is calling those candidates this coming May 9 elections to stop using the name of the DSWD by promising that the survivors of typhoon Yolanda will receive additional Emergency Shelter Assistance if they win this election.

There are reports from the community in the North Western part of Leyte that there are candidates who are using the agency for their campaign this election. The Secretary clarified that their distribution of the ESA for the Yolanda survivors amounting to 9 billion pesos under the NCRRP list of former Rehabilitation Czar Panfilo Lacson, was already done.

Those promises made by some candidates are baseless and will never happen according to the Secretary. “The book is already closed”, she said.

“Para po doon sa mga kandidato na nagsasabing mabibigyan pa ng ESA ang mga lugar ninyo hindi na po kayo mabibigyan. Yan ho ay walang batayan, basehan at hindi na mangyayari kasi tapos na ang listahan,” she added.

The DSWD started the distribution of ESA for the beneficiaries on June 2014. In Eastern Visayas, the DSWD spent 9 billion pesos while in Region 6, they spent 8 billion pesos.
The beneficiary whose house was totally damaged by the typhoon received 30,000 while 10,000 for those beneficiary whose house was not totally destroyed.

“Para doon sa mga kandidato kung gusto po ninyong makuha ang tiwala at maglingkod sa mga mamamayan hindi po natin makukuha sa pagsisinungaling, dahil hindi na mangyayari dahil tapos na sa paglilista, wag na nating lokohin ang mga tao. Alam nang mga tao na nakatanggap na sila nun, wag po nating gamitin ang ESA at ang DSWD sa pagpapangako dahil wala kayong karapatan at wala ho kayong mandato, ang DSWD lang ang may mandato.”  

The ESA program grants families who lost their homes gives P30,000, those whose houses were partially damaged, P10,000.

The new guidelines limit the assistance to families with no permanent source of income or whose income is below the poverty threshold for the region, and to families whose heads are employed in government or private sector BUT whose term(s) of employment are not permanent or regular basis and do not have access to housing loans of both government and the private sector.

The rules also say: Regular employees of government and private sectors/organizations with fix(ed) monthly salary below P15,000 shall also be ELIGIBLE, provided they have not received the same assistance from other agencies and are indicated in the master list of beneficiaries in accordance with the DSWD- Disaster Assistance Family Access Card (DAFAC).

Yolanda affected 1,472,251 families in Eastern Visayas, destroying 518,878 houses and damaging 493,912 others. ###



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