GOV’T EMBRACE
ALMOST five million near-poor Filipinos benefitted from the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) during its first year of implementation from January to December 2024.
This is according to DSWD Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao adding that the program has 99.31 percent utilization rate.
Out of the P26.7 billion allocation, P26.1 have been used in 2024.
The AKAP funds were allocated across the country and almost all regions achieved more than 99 percent in fund obligations, with Cagayan Valley (Region 2), Davao Region (Region 11) and Caraga (Region 13) posting 100 percent utilization.
The AKAP provides cash assistance of P5,000 to eligible beneficiaries. To qualify, families must have an income that falls below the poverty threshold and must not be receiving assistance from other government programs.
The menu of assistance under the AKAP include medical, funeral, food, and cash relief which are provided directly through the DSWD’s Crisis Intervention Units/Sections (CIU/S) at both the Central and Field Offices and through the Social Welfare and Development (SWAD) and Satellite Offices across the country.
With the signing of the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for 2025, around 5 million minimum wage earners and Filipinos living on the poverty threshold are expected to benefit from the DSWD’s AKAP.
In line with the directive of President Marcos, secretaries of the DSWD, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) are scheduled to meet on Friday (January 3) to draw up the guidelines for the AKAP as a condition for its release by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian has assured the public that the AKAP, one of the agency’s social protection programs, will be insulated from politics amid reports that the program’s Php26 billion budget will be used in the 2025 midterm elections.
“The DSWD will not be used by anybody for their political gains not next year, not ever,” Gatchalian said as he dismissed claims by some quarters that AKAP is allegedly being used for political purposes, including “vote buying.”
He further explained that DSWD social workers apply stringent verification and validation process for clients who seek financial assistance, with or without referrals from legislators and local government unit (LGU) officials.
“Our social workers, and not politicians, determine the beneficiaries. DSWD social workers also process the AKAP applications and determine how much the qualified beneficiaries will get,” Gatchalian pointed out.
Likewise, he asserted that the assessment being done by the agency’s licensed social workers is critical to avoid the overlapping of assistance with the other DSWD social protection programs.
The DSWD chief said the agency’s Field Offices actively coordinate and work with LGU officials in payout activities but only for logistical support.
Gatchalian said the funding for AKAP comes from the agency’s budget as provided under the General Appropriations Act signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr last December 30.
“There is no GAA line item that entitles any congressional district or LGU to have an allocation in any amount and lodged this with the DSWD that could benefit their constituents. Referrals from legislators and local executives are entertained pursuant to existing DSWD guidelines,” Gatchalian added.
