PNP, AFP tapped to assist in social amelioration distribution
MANILA, Philippines — After a logistically unsound rolling out of the first tranche of social amelioration aid, both the military and the national police are being tapped to assist in distributing cash and material aid in harder to reach areas, the secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development said Monday.
Malacañang earlier promised a more efficient distribution for the second tranche, saying they learned their lesson from the first wave of distribution.
DSWD's social amelioration program is intended to assist affected and low-income sectors amid the enhanced community quarantine.
"We already have initial coordination with the AFP and PNP leadership to help them provide assistance in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas especially in the island barangays and island municipalities," Bautista said in Filipino at President Rodrigo Duterte's surprise public address late Monday night.
With reports of inefficiencies and logistical lapses throughout the already-delayed first tranche of distribution, some of the country’s most vulnerable strata continue to lag behind, dispirited sans government support, months after the president was granted sweeping special powers.
In a separate statement sent to Philstar.com, the PNP's public information office also confirmed that the 205,000 of the national police had been ordered by the chief executive himself to take part in the aid distribution efforts.
"We are in constant touch with DSWD and AFP with whom we are collaborating to map out systems and procedures utilizing resources and personnel of the military and police to reach out to all SAP beneficiaries in the barangay," Police Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac, PNP spokesperson, said in a text message.
"The PNP has a presence in all barangays across the country [to] help provide assistance to the people especially those in remote and isolated areas," he added in Filipino.
As it stands, the Joint Task Force CV Shield, the quarantine enforcement arm of the government's COVID-19 task force, has told the public to expect heightened police presence, especially in areas graduated to general community quarantine.
Asked which barangays PNP elements would be deployed to and when the public could expect this, Banac said in a text message that the final details were still being finalized with the DSWD.
The DSWD has not responded to inquiries for further details as of this writing.
- Latest
- Trending
