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FACT CHECK

VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Video on Bangon Pamilyang Pilipino cash aid MISLEADING

Contrary to what a YouTube video claims, there is no payout schedule for P10,000 worth of cash aid under the Bangon Pamilyang Pilipino (BPP) Assistance Program Act as the law is yet to be passed.

The May 30 video from YouTube channel Melvs Castle carried a title that read: “LIVE! PAYOUT SCHEDULE ng ₱10-K AYUDA | SIMULA na ang PAMIMIGAY sa IBAT-IBANG LUGAR (Distribution has started in different places) | HOUSE TO HOUSE”

This is misleading. Although the BPP Assistance Program Act or House Bill 8597 proposes to distribute P10,000 of financial aid per family, it has not been scheduled for discussion in the House of Representatives.

House Bill 8597 was penned by Taguig-Pateros Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano, Bulacan 1st District Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado and six other congressmen. It was filed last Feb. 1.

Proposed as separate from the social amelioration program (SAP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the BPP Assistance Program Act aims to distribute a one-time cash assistance of P10,000 or P1,500 per family member, whichever is higher.

The video was grabbed from a May 28 press conference, where Cayetano briefly discussed a similar initiative called the Sampung Libong Pag-asa program which the former House speaker and a few congressmen launched on May 1 with support from private donors. Under the program, the group would give P10,000 to select beneficiaries in provinces such as Bulacan, Batangas, Camarines Sur, and Albay, among others.

The misleading video emerged two days after Cayetano and his allies said they have distributed P10,000 to 1,000 beneficiaries under the Sampung Libong Pag-asa program. Melvs Castle’s video has nearly 47,000 views on YouTube. It has been posted seven times in five Facebook (FB) groups named after the DSWD’s SAP, garnering a total of 2,900 FB interactions.

(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)