No cash aid, just stinking rice

An intended beneficiary of the cash assistance meant for residents flooded out by the recent deluge in Rodriguez, Rizal, approached Nosy Tarsee wanting to know where the promised money or ayuda went, and whether it ever reached the local government or simply disappeared into somebody’s pocket.

On 31 August, the monsoon rains overwhelmed waterways in Rodriguez triggering flash floods that rose to six feet in several barangays, leaving many families little time to evacuate.

“We went to the HOA (homeowners association) evacuation center in our barangay because the water was waist-high in our house. I had to carry my kids. There was a blackout too,” the source told Nosy Tarsee.

“They gave us initial aid of packed relief goods — three two-kilo bags of rice, sardines and noodles. The rice had to be mixed with proper rice because it smelled. You couldn’t eat it as it was,” said the source, a resident of Barangay San Jose.

Asked if she received cash aid from the Department of Social Welfare and Development as hyped in news reports, “No,” she said flatly.

“We didn’t get even P1,000. We returned to our house after two days when the floodwater had gone down. Maybe the money got pocketed again,” she said.

The Marcos administration tapped the Department of Social Welfare and Development to distribute P10,000 each to flood-hit families under its Emergency Cash Transfer program to help cover food, medicine, and minor home repairs.

So where did the money go? That’s for us to find out.