P712M cash aid reverted

She said the OCD and DSWD had earlier agreed on the distribution process.

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Initially, both totally and partially damaged houses were included, but due to limited funds in 2022, only households with totally damaged houses were prioritized.

“In Cebu Province, the numbers ballooned to 400,000 because even partially and slightly damaged houses were included, which explains why their figures were higher than ours,” Obido said.

Of the 72,209 NHA-validated beneficiaries, at least 1,000 received assistance in November 2022-555 in Carcar City and 445 in Naga City, the only LGUs that submitted complete and validated master lists.

Obido said 71,209 beneficiaries in Cebu Province remain without aid.

Juntilo added that negotiations with the Capitol went back and forth, with the provincial government requesting that the P712 million be prorated among 400,000 beneficiaries instead of strictly giving P10,000 each, as stated in program guidelines.

He said the NHA General Manager did not agree to let the province handle the implementation, which resulted in the funds being returned to the treasury.