(Photo courtesy of Bombo Radyo CDO)
MANILA, Philippines – The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) on Saturday slammed the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) after large crowds swarmed the department’s offices to claim the cash assistance for indigent students.
“The current deluge of students and parents at the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) asking for financial assistance merely two days before the start of classes is truly a deplorable sight. It also highlights the glaring need of aid for Filipino families”, ACT said in a statement.
DSWD Secretary Erwin Tulfo said a miscommunication resulted in large crowds outside the department’s central and regional offices.
Tulfo said all applications will be processed and appealed for patience as DSWD adjusts its processes.
The progressive teachers’ group said that the DSWD should have been better prepared for Filipinos who need help as students return to school on Monday, asserting that they gave teachers more work as well.
“Dapat ay mas maaga ito ibinigay dahil milyon ang nangangailangan ng tulong. Ngayon lang sila mamimigay ng ayuda eh pasukan na sa Lunes. Malamang dadagsa talaga ang tao sa tindi ng krisis. Ang mga guro, sa gitna ng paghahabol sa last-minute school preps, naubos ang oras sa dami ng magulang na humihingi ng certificate of enrolment” stated ACT.
(It should have been distributed earlier because millions of people need help. They are only giving out aid now that classes are set to resume on Monday. As expected, there will be long lines and crowding because of the hard times. Teachers in the middle of last minute school preparations also have to deal with the surge of requests for certificates of enrollment).
A certificate of enrollment and the student ID are requirements for the financial assistance.
“Hindi nag-isip ng episyente at ligtas na paraan kung paano makakaabot ang tulong sa mga pamilya. Ang departamento na dapat ay nagbibigay ng dignidad sa mahihirap, pinagmukhang timawa ang ating mga kababayan,” criticized ACT.
(They did not think of an efficient and safe way of distributing aid to families. The department should give dignity to the poor yet they made our fellow countrymen look miserable.)
The DSWD on Friday announced that it will distribute some P500 million worth of cash assistance to indigent students, causing hordes of people to swarm its central and regional offices Saturday morning.