A provincial officer announced that some residents of Antipolo, Rizal are now facing raps after getting excess financial aid twice in different villages.
The official also posted photos of these individuals on social media which raised privacy concerns. Some Filipinos perceived the punishment too harsh.
In a Facebook post on Monday, May 24, Jun-Andeng Ynares, executive assistant to the mayor in Antipolo City, said that they apprehended one individual and two couples who acquired more than the allotted P4,000 worth of financial aid from Barangay Dela Paz and Southville 9, Barangay San Jose.
He said the latest individual they caught was able to collect P8,000 cash from two different barangay.
“Katulad ng mga naunang nakasuhan, silang 5 ngayon ay nahaharap din sa mga kasong estafa, falsification of documents (pamemeke), atbp,” Ynares said.
Aside from photos, Ynares also mentioned the names of the individuals they arrested.
In the comments section, most Filipinos approved the punishment meted. Some even complained that they had not received any cash assistance until now.
“Sila na doble kami simula una di pinapirma ng form tas may first 2nd at 3rd wala parin kmi. Tas may 4,000 lahat daw per bahay makaka tanggap pero bakit wala parin kami,” one user commented.
However, there some commenters who raised concerns about violators’ privacy. They suggested that the residents should return the excess cash to avoid getting their identities exposed online.
“Isauli niyo na kung alam niyo subra subra nakuha niyo para makakuha din yung iba hindi lang po kayo ang nawalan ng trabho lahat tayo,” one Facebook user said.
“Magkusa na magsoli mga doble-doble dyan..awag na antaying maipost pa,” another user said.
“Kawawa naman sila siguro kaya nila nagawa yan dahil sa kahirapan ng buhay. Pwede naman ata ibalik nalng ung pera at wag nalang sila kasuhan,” another Facebook user wrote.
The national government previously said that beneficiaries of the cash assistance will receive P1,000 per individual and P4,000 per family.
Beneficiaries include Filipinos severely affected by the re-imposition of the tough lockdowns within the National Capital Region and surrounding provinces, Cavite, Bulacan, Laguna and Rizal.