Starpay to Pacman: What anomalies?
Starpay rejected the lawmaker’s claims that P10.4 billion from the SAP budget went missing and that only 500,000 people from the targeted 1.8 million beneficiaries have received their stimulus package
Digital wallet service provider Starpay Corporation on Tuesday said there was no anomaly in the disbursement of the P14 billion emergency cash subsidy under the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
The statement was meant to rebuff the accusations of corruption made by Senator Manny Pacquiao recently.
Starpay rejected the lawmaker’s claims that P10.4 billion from the SAP budget “went missing” and only 500,000 people from the targeted 1.8 million beneficiaries have received their stimulus package.
It likewise corrected the allegations that it only had P62,000 for startup capital, saying that it has complied with a required capitalization of P100M for licensure of electronic money issuers in 2017.
“In the interest of truth and transparency, we would like to clear the baseless claims against Starpay Corporation on the issue of ayuda (assistance) distribution,” the company stated.
“Over the last several days, statements, allegations, and insinuations have been released using unverified data and we would like to set the record straight with readily verifiable facts that are also accessible and available in the public domain,” it added.
According to the e-wallet provider, DSWD tapped the company to cover 1.6 million SAP beneficiaries due to their wide range of partner outlets nationwide through a multilateral agreement.
“With our large partner network, we were able to expand and assist several million more beneficiaries to receive their much-needed amelioration. This was achieved because of our unique online and offline distribution model, where beneficiaries without smartphones were given reference numbers to claim their amelioration at their own time and convenience,” it said.
“This ensured that despite lockdowns and social distancing concerns, beneficiaries could still claim ayuda in a safe and effective manner,” it added.
As for the untapped P8.239 billion, Starpay said it had already liquidated and refunded the budget to the government through DSWD and LandBank.
DSWD spokesperson Director Irene Dumlao had previously debunked Pacquiao’s claims and explained that the department partnered with the company on the recommendation of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
She also noted that the DSWD had already faced Congress during the investigation of the distribution of SAP funds and reiterated that the department is willing to face further probes.
DSWD is among government agencies Pacquiao tagged in his corruption allegations last Saturday before he flew to Los Angeles to prepare for his upcoming match against Errol Spence on 21 August.
It likewise corrected the allegations that it only had P62,000 for startup capital, saying that it has complied with a required capitalization of P100M for licensure of electronic money issuers in 2017.
Other agencies he accused of committing anomalies were the Department of Health, Department of Energy, and Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Both chambers of the Congress expressed willingness to conduct investigations on his accusations.