The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Western Visayas (DSWD-6) has traced 31 thousand “duplicate beneficiaries” for the government’s social amelioration program (SAP).

Duplicate beneficiaries are those who have received the government’s aid twice from the DSWD or other implementing agencies, said Ma. Evelyn Macapobre, DSWD-6 regional director.

“The duplicates that we saw reached 31,000. They are not only the one whose names have doubled (in DSWD’s list) but when we matched them in other agencies who also implement SAP, they are also there,” Macapobre said.

She said the 31,000 beneficiaries will be asked to return one of the SAP aids they received as “shopping” for government’s assistance in different agencies is not allowed.

“If it is proven that the 31,000 have indeed doubled in the benefits, they need to return one (of the aids),” she said.

The government agencies have agreed that the DSWD will be the one to facilitate the return of the SAP aid, Macapobre said.

The DSWD uses the reports of the local government units (LGUs) in the duplicity check.

Macapobre, however, said only 119 of the 133 LGUs have submitted their liquidation reports as of June 18. “Fourteen LGUs have not yet submitted the liquidation report and it affects our conduct of duplicity check,” she said.

The 133 LGUs need to submit their liquidation reports to countercheck the names of the beneficiaries. “Because there are some that received the aid from municipality A and also received the same from municipality B,” she said.

The delay in the submission of the LGUs also hampers the payout of the SAP’s second tranche.

“The LGUs took long to submit the list of the paid beneficiaries and the list of their additional beneficiaries. There are some who submitted but the information is not complete. Our system does not accept it because there is lacking information. We have been emphasizing the correct filling up of SAP forms because these serve as our basis for duplicity check,” she said.

A total of 104,027 Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries in this city, Iloilo province, and Bacolod City have already received their second tranche cash aid of the social amelioration program (SAP) last June 11.

For non-4Ps, however, she said the DSWD still must wait for the submissions of the LGUs to start the payout.

“For the non-4Ps, we need to complete the submission of all the 133 LGUs in Western Visayas for our duplicity check, to know that we will only pay the eligible,” she said.Gail Momblan/PNA