The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Tuesday said there are only 14.1 million family beneficiaries eligible to receive assistance under the government’s Social Amelioration Program (SAP).

DSWD Undersecretary Glen Paje said from the initial 17 million target beneficiaries of the agency, they have trimmed it down to 14.1 million after taking into account those that were found as duplicates or beneficiaries of other cash aid programs of the government, those that turned out to be unqualified to receive the subsidy, and those who voluntarily returned their cash aid.

Data from the agency showed that as of July 26, there were 675,933 duplicates; 239,859 ineligibles, and 58,725 who returned their cash aid.

“Mahalaga rin na maipabatid na 3.2 million (na mga pamilya) lang ang naisumite ng local government units (LGUs) na mga pangalan mula sa 5 million na paunang target ng programa (It should be noted that the LGUs only submitted a total of 3.2 million families as candidate beneficiaries instead of the initial 5 million target of the program),” Paje added.

Paje added that they are almost 70 percent complete in delivering the SAP.

“Bagamat hindi natin naiabot ang 80 percent na ating target [sa katapusan ng Hulyo] ay patuloy pang nagsisikap ang DSWD upang matapos ang lahat ng payouts sa kalagitnaan ng buwang kasalukuyan (While we did not achieve to complete at least 80 percent [by the end of July], we are still doing our best effort to finish the distribution by mid-August),” he said.

The agency has so far distributed PHP62.5 billion worth of financial aid to low-income family beneficiaries who were hardest-hit by the pandemic.

Paje also said they have already delivered cash assistance to some 9.6 million beneficiaries.

Of this number, more than 1.3 million are Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4P’s) beneficiaries; more than 5 million are low-income and non-4P’s beneficiaries; more than 2.4 million are from the waitlisted families referred by the local government units; and more than 700,000 were waitlisted families in areas placed under enhanced community quarantine on May 30. (PNA)