It is illegal for anyone to photocopy social amelioration cards, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) warned today, and said that anyone caught doing so will be prosecuted.
Thousands of families in Metro Manila have been left unemployed by the Luzon lockdown, which the government implemented to curb the spread of COVID-19. To help them cope, the Department of Social Welfare and Development promised that the poorest of the poor will receive cash aid for as much as PHP8,000 (US$157) but before they could receive the amount, they need to fill up and submit these cards. However, online rumors have emerged that some people are photocopying the documents.
DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said that local government units (LGUs) shouldn’t reproduce them because each card has a special serial number and a barcode.
“The government wants to quickly distribute financial aid to the poor due to the COVID-19 crisis but we are warning the public about these fake social amelioration forms. These are not for sale and reproduction, even by LGUs or any individual or group,” Malaya said in English and Filipino in his statement.
“We want to ensure that the poor will receive [the money] and not by abusive and corrupt [individuals],” he added.
Read: Filipino officials barred from putting ‘obnoxious’ names on lockdown relief aid
Malaya added that LGUs are forbidden from displaying banners or signs that show the face of any individual when the cash aids are being distributed.
“Let’s have a ceasefire on politics for a while because our enemy is COVID-19. Let’s help each other so we can go back to normal and the country’s economy goes back on track,” he said.
