Sotto asks that the names of beneficiaries of gov't cash aid be made public

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 19) — The Senate president proposes the names of all persons who received cash aid from the government's Social Amelioration Program (SAP) be made public in a bid for transparency.

In a statement Sunday, Senator Vicente "Tito" Sotto III said, “Marami tayong naririnig na reklamo na hindi umano natanggap ng mga taong dapat ay kwalipikadong makakuha ng cash assistance na pinayagan ng Kongreso sa ilalim ng Bayanihan Act. Kaya ang tanong natin ngayon, sino-sino na ba ang nabigyan ng gobyerno? Bakit marami ang nagrereklamong hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa nila nakukuha ang ayuda na nakasaad sa batas?”

[Translation: We are hearing a lot of complaints saying the people who are qualified to get cash assistance under the Bayanihan Act are not receiving it. So we're asking who has received aid from the government. And why are there so many complaints about people not getting help?]

Sotto is asking the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to publish on its website a list of individuals who have received cash aid, as well as the area already covered since it started distributing the SAP.

Doing so, the senator added, will prove that cash aid has already been given and was received by those qualified.

“The DSWD has the masterlist of those who have already benefitted from the SAP. It should make public the names of the recipients for the sake of transparency,” he said.

Sotto said he was also not satisfied with the report submitted by President Rodrigo Duterte to the Senate which said the DSWD has disbursed P80 billion of the P100 billion allotted for the SAP for the month of April.

“Nakukulangan ako sa report, hindi kumpleto. Kailangang malinaw sa aming mga mambabatas at sa publiko kung paano ibinahagi itong perang ito. Kulang sa detalye ang ipinasang report sa Kongreso,” he said.

[Translation: I find the report lacking. It has to be clear to the public and lawmakers how this money was distributed.]

Apart from transparency, Sotto added the revelation of the information would allow lawmakers to identify any loopholes or errors, as well as show if any abuses were committed.