Summary of the LGU-relevant updates from the President's 9th report on the Bayanihan Act

Here's a summary of the LGU-relevant updates from the President's 9th report on the Bayanihan Act published on 25 May 2020:

🤲 SOCIAL AMELIORATION PROGRAM

▪ DILG MC 2020-086: Facilitating the inclusion of all eligible, but waitlisted/left-out household beneficiaries, around 5 million low-income households

▪ DSWD and DICT launched Relief Agad System for the distribution of SAP. 1,799,346 individuals have already self-registered.

👩‍👧‍👦 PROTECTION OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN

▪ DILG enjoined all gender-based violence response units, barangay 'violence against women' desks, PNP Women’s and LGBTQ+ help desks, and Women and Children Protection Units to respond quickly to all reports of gender-based violence using a survivor-center approach.

▪ DOJ-Office of Cybercrime (DOJ-OOC) aims to strengthen its monitoring of various cybercrime activities such as online scams, online libel, sexual harassment, and sextortion.

▪ In relation to online child sexual exploitation, the DOJ-OOC will receive and evaluate CyberTipline reports which are found to be actionable. To be endorsed to appropriate law enforcement agencies: BI for blacklisting in case of a traveling sex offender and DSWD for the rescue and counseling of the minor victim.

🧳 BALIK PROBINSYA PROGRAM

▪ 116 Balik Probinsya beneficiaries have been assisted with PhP 5,000 cash assistance per individual.

▪ DOTr spearheaded the “Hatid Estudyante Para Makabalik sa Probinsya Program”. As of 22 May 2020, 570 students have been assisted.

🚑 HEALTH SYSTEMS

▪ 1,129 nurses (178 in Luzon, 951 in VisMin) were temporarily redeployed to augment the capacity of health care institutions.

▪ There are 3,368 temporary treatment and monitoring facilities for COVID-19 related cases across the country with a total bed capacity of 42,798.

▪ There are 37 active testing laboratories. There are 78 laboratories being evaluated with the DOH fast-tracking the licensing of Stage 3 and 4 laboratories and using the GeneXpert equipment.

▪ The DOST is intensifying their efforts in promoting FASSSSTER as an effective tool for evidence-based decision-making and contact tracing.

▪ The BI established the Advanced Passenger Processing for the processing of paperless and contactless electronic or digitized immigration arrival cards and contribute to the contact tracing timeline.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 COMMUNITY-BASED MONITORING SYSTEM (CBMS)

▪ The PIDS signed and finalized the IRR of RA 11315. The CBMS is expected to minimize discrepancies in the identification of families for the SAP programs and strengthen local planning capabilities under the Balik Probinsya program.

📑 COMPLIANCE OF LGUS

▪ 408 individuals filed complaints on alleged anomalies on the distribution of assistance under the SAPs. 83 officials and individuals have been charged criminally while the rest are under investigation.

▪ DILG issued a memorandum directing DILG Regional Directors and the PNP to receive and verify complaints in areas of jurisdiction. This relates to PRRD's directive to give a PhP 30,000 incentive to any member of the public that will report LGU officials who will pocket or misuse the funds for the SAP.

▪ As of 21 May 2020, 19 LGUs (15 municipalities and 4 cities) have liquidated funds under the Bayanihan Grants to LGUs. This represents 1.07\% of total Bayanihan Grants released to LGUs. Bulk of the liquidated amount went to food assistance and other relief goods followed by procurement of hospital equipment and supplies.