Angara backs barangay-based quarantine instead of extended ECQ

Angara, a COVID-19 survivor, said he hopes that the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-EID) would consider a barangay-based quarantine instead of enforcing the ECQ which is set to end on Thursday next week.

But he said it is important for the government to ensure there would be an extensive information campaign regarding a barangay-based quarantine in order to avoid public confusion.

“It’s important that the people know the do’s and don’ts about this,” Angara said in an interview over DZRH. “I think before they impose it, the DILG should conduct a massive information campaign first before doing it.”

Apart from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Angara said the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), Department of Health (DOH), and other government agencies should utilize their budget for this information campaign.

Under a barangay-based quarantine, village officials would be tasked to strictly implement quarantine procedures and more importantly, social distancing.

“Tapos very strict implementation on the ground. Kasi, kumbaga ang mga sundalo mo rito yung mga barangay officials, mga tanod (The implementation on the ground must be very strict. Because your soldiers here would be the barangay officials),” Angara said.

Angara warned that having a long-term ECQ would pose a huge problem for the whole country, especially the economy.

That is why, he said, he hopes Filipinos would strictly heed the call of the government to strictly stay indoors while the Luzon-wide ECQ is in place.

“Yung long term quarantine, medyo mahihirapan tayo. Pero yung sinasasbi ni Pangulo, maaaring mangyari yan sa ibang lugar at sa ibang mga barangay kung talagang very poor ang enforcement ng mga barangay and local government officials (Having a long-term quarantine would be difficult for all of us.

But, as the President has said, this can be imposed in some parts of the country and in barangays where there is poor enforcement of the ECQ),” he said. “Pwede na dyan pumasok ang national government para i-enforce yung maayos na pamamalakad ng quarantine (At that time, the national government can take over to enforce better quarantine procedures).” (Content reposted from Manila Bulletin)

 IN PHOTO: Senator Sonny Angara ( From FACEBOOK/MANILA BULLETIN) 

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DILG orders barangays to post masterlist of cash aid beneficiaries

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Saturday directed barangay captains to make public the names of their community’s beneficiaries for the social amelioration program.

DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said village leaders must fully disclose the list of target beneficiaries in order to promote “honesty, transparency, and orderly management” of the financial subsidy from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

He also said the list of beneficiaries can be clearly posted on the barangay hall, city/municipal hall, social center, gymnasium, auditorium, transport terminal, public market, health station, hospital, and other similar public spaces.

“We want the process of identifying the target beneficiaries under the SAP to be transparent. Hence, we have directed all our punong barangays to post the masterlist of beneficiaries in strategic areas in their barangays so that the residents will also be informed if they will receive the said financial assistance from the government,” Año stressed.

“It’s very important to broadcast their lists so the citizens will be enlightened and well-informed that the priority recipients are the poorest families who have no means to earn a living in the middle of this crisis,” he added.

The social amelioration program was implemented to ease the impact of the enhanced community quarantine on the most vulnerable sector of the society since the lockdown effectively stopped the operation of businesses and work, leaving the many poor people without a livelihood.

The enhanced community quarantine across Luzon was imposed to control the transmission of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the highly infectious respiratory illness COVID-19.

“Our intention here is to make sure that the barangays have a correct and complete list of beneficiaries,” said Año. “If the list isn’t complete, the local government unit can take the necessary course of action and inform the DSWD.”

Año added that he issued the order after receiving reports from field officers that there has been a lack of transparency regarding the distribution of social amelioration forms and cash aid. (Contents reposted from Inquirer.net)

Photo credit: Philippine News website)

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Barangay social media accounts creation pushed

 A subcommittee in the House of Representatives suggested that the national government should mandate all barangays to create their respective official accounts on social media to curtail the proliferation of fake news.

According to the Peace and Order Cluster of the Defeat COVID-19 Committee, these accounts would be used for the purpose of disseminating information on the various measures being undertaken by government on the distribution of relief goods and other forms of assistance.

“These social media platforms can also be the means by which constituencies can validate the information they receive, or ask questions and receive answers on issues and other concerns,” the subcommittee stated in its recommendation.

“True and accurate information is a critical factor in combatting the COVID-19 crisis,” it added.

The subpanel said it can also be a means by which citizens can report fake or unofficial accounts that propagate false information to foment confusion and disorder, and make it easier for the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to shut down these accounts.

The accounts shall be maintained by public information officers, wherein the timeliness and accuracy of the information being disseminated should be ensured.

Also recommended was the creation of a Joint Task Force composed of the NBI, NTC and Philippine National Police which shall be tasked to identify persons spreading fake news.

Republic Act 11469, or the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act, states that individuals spreading false information regarding COVID-19 on social media and other platforms to promote chaos, fear and confusion will be penalized.

The recommendation was signed by Iloilo Rep. Raul “Boboy” Tupas, chairman of the Committee on National Defense and Security and Peace and Order Cluster, and Masbate Rep. Narciso Bravo Jr., chairman of the Committee on Public Order and Safety and Peace and Order Cluster. (Content reposted from Daily Tribune) 


In photo: Above left: Iloilo Rep. Raul “Boboy” Tupas; Above right: Masbate Rep. Narciso Bravo Jr. From their Facebook photos.

DILG Malaya: brgy officials to distribute SAC first to poor sector

Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya on Monday, April 14, called on all the barangay officials to distribute the social amelioration card (SAC) forms first to their constituents who belong to the “poorest among the poor’’ sector.

In a press briefing, Malaya made this clear after mounting complaints about the discrepancies in the number of poor families and the problems in the distribution of SAC forms have reached the DILG. The SAC forms are being distributed to the public affected by the lockdown due to the novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). This is to determine the number of families that would be given financial aid by the government with the “poorest among the poor’’ being the target priority group. Malaya warned the barangay officials to shun politics and favoritism in handing out the SAC forms and give them to the qualified beneficiaries based on the guidelines set by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Aside from the poorest among the poor, Malaya said the DSWD has targeted the low income group, informal sector, no work no pay workers, and those with no regular jobs as among the qualified recipients. Expressing his point further, Malaya asked the barangay officials to include in the list the names of those without regular jobs and forward them to the local DSWD office where the roster may be included in the next batch.

Malaya assured the public that the DSWD has committed to secure funds for those qualified recipients who were not included in the initial list of beneficiaries. In the meantime, Malaya said that DILG Secretary Eduardo Año instructed the local government units (LGU) to prioritize the giving of food packs to those qualified beneficiaries who were excluded in the initial list.

Malaya reminded that the barangays may use their extra internal revenue allotment (IRA) given by the government through the “Bayanihan Grant’’ to provide assistance to those not included in the first batch. To prevent confusion, Malaya explained that each region will be given varying amounts of social amelioration program (SAP) benefits. He reminded the barangay officials that the SAP cash grants should be awarded to each low-income family and should not be divided and given to several individuals.

According to Malaya, the amount of SAP “Bayanihan Grants’’ to be given to each low-income family in each region are as follows: P8,000 for National Capital Region; P5,500 for Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Regions 1, and 2; P6,500 for Regions 3 and 4-A; P5,000 for Region 4-B and 5; P6,000 for Regions 6 and 7; P5,000 for Regions 8 and 9; P6,000 for Regions 10 and 11; and P5,000 for CARAGA and BARMM. (Content reposted from Manila Bulletin)

IN PHOTO: DILG undersecretary and spokesman Jonathan Malaya (DILG 10 via PIA / MANILA BULLETIN)

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Barangays confused over Malacanang aid directives

Barangay Captain Abdul Aziz Natanauan slouched as he sat speaking, staring intently at his phone's camera lens as if to address his constituents, looking them straight in the eye.

“Good morning to all of you, especially to you, Congressman Alan Cayetano,” he said in Filipino, his voice heavy with a Batangueño accent.

“I am a barangay captain. I am struggling to explain to people what you said about all families receiving aid, which is not true,” he said in Filipino.

The barangay captain held the Facebook live address on Sunday, April 5. It has since burst on social media, especially among barangay officials. As of April 8, the video has been viewed 1.1 million times and shared over 96,000 times.

He was reacting to a widely shared Facebook video clip of the House Speaker and staunch Duterte ally saying that social amelioration card (SAC) forms should be given “per household.” SAC forms are the government’s validation tool to determine which families are eligible for P5,000 to P8,000 cash aid through the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.

However, there is a limited and predetermined number of forms, making the act of validation itself selective. Natanauan’s constituents used Cayetano’s video to demand for forms and actual help.

“My request, since it seems that you are not helping our people, is that you shouldn’t add to the problem,” Natanauan said.

The video of Cayetano is only a follow-up to President Rodrigo Duterte’s own announcement after declaring the Luzon lockdown: that people who go hungry should go to their barangay captains.

“Where will people get food? It behooves upon the barangay captain. You barangay captains, listen. This is a mandatory duty. It does not have to have a law," Duterte said in a pre-recorded address aired on Monday, March 16, as coronavirus cases in the country continued to rise.

Natanauan is a barangay captain in Talisay, Batangas. He has to keep watch over around 2,500 families, but based on the government’s count, only 821 SAC forms would be given to them.

Another barangay had it worse.

In Barangay San Luis, Antipolo City, sitio chairpersons have been threatened by their constituents with violence – once with a bolo, another time with a hammer – citing Cayetano’s video too, as they demanded help.

“We want to serve our country, but we don’t want our children to be orphaned or be put in danger while helping our neighbors. Because of this, we are already giving up distributing SAC forms, and we won’t allow ourselves to be a part of this chaotic policy anymore,” they said in Filipino.

The frustrations of the barangay officials aired on social media only revealed the tip of the struggles of local governance under lockdown, where local officials are overwhelmed by the social relief crisis and the spread of the disease, all while being left confused and uncertain by the Duterte government’s policy guidelines.

“The problem is that we weren’t prepared. Day to day, there are new guidelines. When they announced a lockdown, there were problems and questions. They are creating guidelines a piece at a time,” said University of the Philippines professor Maria Ela Atienza in a phone interview with Rappler on Tuesday, April 7.

For the national government, however, the outbreak of the coronavirus is an unprecedented crisis that, whether or not the local governments are prepared, they must face given what they have.

“This is not an ideal situation, but we don’t have any other system aside from people on the ground, the barangay officials,” Department of the Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya told Rappler on April 8. (Read Rappler full story) Photo credit: Rodolfo Palma

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