In a memorandum from the Secretary dated April 17, 2020, the agency has adopted the recommendation of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to include as target beneficiaries, the Barangay Health Workers (BHW), Barangay Tanods, and Barangay Day Care Workers, subject to proper screening in accordance to Joint memorandum Circular No. 1, series of 2020.

This means that the above-mentioned sectors are not automatically eligible to receive the Social Amelioration Program of DSWD like all the other vulnerable and disadvantaged sectors that must undergo the same screening process.

The BHWs, Barangay Tanods and Barangay Day Care Workers are presumed by the DILG to be under the category of Sub Minimum Wage Earners, hence the reason they are now included as target beneficiaries of the cash assistance.

Sub Minimum wage Earners are those persons who:  (1) earn a wage below the prescribed minimum, and (2) is the sole income-earner of the family, as per the letter reply by the DILG to DSWD in response to the latter’s query on the eligibility of these sectors to the SAP. However, in the event that the BHW, Tanods and Day Care Workers earn more than the minimum wage, they may not be eligible to the SAP.

The next thing that should be considered is the total funds allocated for the Social Amelioration Program of DSWD. The available funds for the implementation of the program were already released to the LGUs based on the indicative targets. LGUs will have to work within the given budget because there was no additional fund given for this newly included sectors, therefore prioritization of the poorest of the poor should be implemented.

It is on this note that the Department emphasizes that the poorest of the poor families should be the first recepients of the SAP. In the event that there are familes that will be assessed as poorer than the BHWs, Barangay Tanods, and Barangay Day Care Workers, these families should be prioritized over the same who have sources of income despite the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).