Bitung City Government Distributes Social Assistance Through Churches And Mosques

MANADO – The distribution of social assistance (bansos) for residents who are victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, is carried out by the City Government (Pemkot) of Bitung, North Sulawesi, through places of worship.

"We are distributing non-cash social assistance for residents affected by COVID-19 in Bitung City," Bitung Mayor Maurits Mantiri quoted Antara, Monday, August 9.

He said the social assistance in the form of rice was distributed by the government through places of worship, namely churches and mosques, and each recipient or head of a family received 10 kg.

The distribution of social assistance was carried out by the Mayor accompanied by the Chair of the Bitung City PKK TP, Mrs. Rita Mantiri Tangkudung at four places of worship, namely GMIM Anugerah Girian Games, GBI New Wine Girian Atas, HKBP Girian and Baiturahman Wangurer Barat Mosque.

"Other houses of worship will follow and today we can only reach four places of worship," said Maurits.

According to Maurits, the social assistance provided is social assistance outside the recipients of PKH and BST whose process has also begun.

"The social assistance through this house of worship will reach around 50 thousand families in Bitung City," he said. The candidate for receiving social assistance through the house of worship is a proposal from religious leaders, then verified by the Bitung City Government Social Service.

“So it is unlikely that a recipient will receive it twice, because it has passed the verification stage. Are the prospective recipients of social assistance registered as PKH or BST recipients," he said.

He hopes that the social assistance that has begun to be distributed can help the people of Bitung City in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We also hope that the community is pro-active in carrying out surveillance by reporting to religious leaders if there are still those who are not on the list of recipients," he said.