BAGUIO CITY – The City Social Welfare and Development Office vehemently denied allegations by some residents that the office had been selective in the grant of assistance to calamity victims in the city.
City Social Welfare and Development officer Betty Fangasan told members of the local legislative body that their office had always been accommodating to the requests of residents for assistance and such requests were processed, validated and subsequently released to the supposed beneficiaries.
In the grant of assistance to calamity victims, Fangasan explained there is a standard protocol to be strictly observed by the beneficiaries wherein they must first secure an endorsement from the Barangay Risk Reduction and Management Council (BDRRMC) as barangay officials are in the best position to assess the situation in their respective areas of jurisdiction.
In some cases, she pointed out it is the personnel of the City Social Welfare and Development Office that visit the calamity-stricken barangays and assess the situation of the victims for the initial processing of the assistance allowed under existing ordinances of the city.
Further, she added aside from the assistance from the local government, the calamity victims are being endorsed to numerous charity groups who also provide them with the needed assistance for them to recover from the effects of natural calamities to their living condition and properties.
“We never discriminate against people who request assistance from our office. We have to validate the cases of the city residents seeking assistance from our office through the efforts of our social workers,” Fangasan stressed.
Apart from the assistance that the calamity victims are getting from the local government and donations coursed through the City Social Welfare and Development Office, she claimed calamity victims also receive numerous donations that are directly given to them by their friends, relatives and other kind-hearted individuals and groups.
Fangasan pointed out it is important for calamity victims to directly coordinate with their barangay officials to report their situation for the processing of the appropriate endorsement to their office to facilitate the processing of whatever assistance they are supposed to get from the city.
The City Social Welfare and Development Office appealed to calamity victims to be patient in awaiting the release of the assistance by the local government because of the tedious process their requests have to undergo pursuant to government accounting and auditing rules and regulations, saying that their requests have to pass through evaluation, assessment, and validation to ascertain the veracity of their claims for assistance.
She also called on the individuals seeking assistance from their office to understand the requirements being requested by their office to support their claims because it is part of the mandatory process before any assistance is granted.
By Dexter A. See
