MANILA – Candidates in the midterm polls are banned from payout areas for the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita (AKAP) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
According to Secretary Rex Gatchalian, this is among the guidelines he formulated together with Labor secretary Bienvenido Laguesma and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan for AKAP implementation.
Gatchalian further said the “first safety net” for AKAP implementation is to ban candidates from the payout area during the campaign period.
“I think there are enough rules set forth during the campaign period prescribed by jurisprudence that will make sure that candidates don’t get to use public funds for their campaign purposes,” Gatchalian said in a television interview.
DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao, for her part, said the agency is crafting a “standardized targeting system” to identify who would be eligible to receive cash aid under AKAP.
“Makakatiyak tayo na hindi mga barangay official o kung sino man ang tutukoy ng mga benepisyaryo para sa mga programa at serbisyo ng iba’t ibang ahensya,” Dumlao said in an interview with DZBB.
“We’ll make sure na ‘yung mga social worker natin are conducting validation and assessment. Kailangan i-review nila ang lahat ng beneficiaries,” she added. “Tinitiyak natin na hindi magkakaroon ng overlaps o duplication by having a standardized targeting system.”
The General Appropriations Act of 2024, specifically Special Provision No. 3 of the DSWD budget, authorized the funding for AKAP amounting to P26.7 billion which will serve as financial assistance to minimum wage earners falling under the category of low income that were severely affected by the rising inflation.
Almost five million “near poor” Filipinos have benefitted from AKAP from January to Dec. 26 last year./PN
