LA TRINIDAD, Benguet– Benguet Caretaker Congressman and Anti-Crime and Terrorism through Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) Party-list Rep. Eric Yap announced that concerned government agencies allocated at least P1.5 billion in their various programs purposely for the assistance to residents of the province heavily impacted by the prevalence of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
In an interview aired over RPN-DZBS Baguio’s One for the Road program, Yap, who chairs the powerful House committee on appropriations, stated that the assistance to Benguet residents were equitably shared under the labor department’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD), the social welfare development’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) and the health department’s medical assistance for indigent patients (MAIP).
However, he claimed that there will be a slight delay in the earlier scheduled distribution of the assistance to the identified beneficiaries in the province’s 140 barangays following the downgrading of the province’s general community quarantine status to modified enhanced community quarantine until May 23, 2021.
Congressman Yap assured that the identified beneficiaries should not worry on the delayed distribution of their assistance because the finalized list of the concerned government agencies will not be changed and that they will receive their prescribed assistance once the prevailing restrictions are lifted when the province’s community quarantine status is downgraded.
According to him, in the past, the allocations of lawmakers under such programs was limited to only P30 million per legislative district that allowed the limited distribution of such assistance to selected beneficiaries in some barangays.
Because of his aggressiveness to lobby for more assistance for the people of Benguet, Yap increased the aforesaid allocation to over P1.5 billion.
He asserted that he will continue to lobby for the inclusion of more funds under such programs for the people of Benguet in the annual budget of the national government next year so that people will continue to enjoy such benefits while trying to recover from the effects of the pandemic as the same might take some time to be realized. By HENT
