DSWD: ‘Ayuda’ monitoring system readied

INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will come up with a real-time monitoring mechanism of its Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita (Akap) program fund and its recipients to ensure transparency in the utilization ahead of the start of the campaign period for local posts next week.

The ban on the presence of politicians or any political materials during payout events for Akap beneficiaries will also be strictly enforced, as explicitly stated in the DSWD’s new joint guidelines with the National Economic and Development Authority and the Department of Labor and Employment issued on March 6.

READ: DSWD bans politicians, political materials during ‘Akap’ distribution

In Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2025-01, the guidelines for Akap this year focus on ensuring that only qualified beneficiaries are given social assistance and that the program is depoliticized, especially during “offsite” implementation, or when payout activities are held outside of DSWD offices.

According to Social Welfare spokesperson Irene Dumlao, the revised rules on Akap implementation shall serve as safeguards from politicking during the election period. The campaign period for local positions and the House of Representatives will open on March 28.

A new provision, Dumlao said at a press briefing on Thursday, is the “reporting requirement,” in which DSWD field offices would have to submit reports regularly containing financial data and a “narrative analysis” of the program status in their area.

The agency’s project management bureau and crisis intervention division would need to post the information on the DSWD website for public consumption and update it monthly.

With regard to the list of Akap beneficiaries, only the name and the province where he or she resides would be made available in compliance with data privacy laws, Dumlao noted.

Other information, such as the amount, may be provided upon request, she added.

READ: Making Akap nonpartisan