ILOILO City – Elected officials and candidates running for public office this May 12 midterm elections are not welcome in financial aid distribution activities of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
To protect the integrity of social welfare programs during this election campaign period, Region 6 director Arwin Razo said the agency is actively working to keep politics out of its public assistance efforts.
Reiterating their “anti-epal” policy, Razo said, “We are not a political party. DSWD is a non-partisan organization. We serve the best interest of the Filipino people, especially those who truly need our services.”
To strengthen this stance, the DSWD has expanded its advocacy campaign against political grandstanding — commonly known as “epal” — by coordinating with local government units (LGUs) and communities.
Among the key rules being enforced is the prohibition of candidate tarpaulins or political signage at distribution venues. Only standard DSWD branding will be allowed.
“We hope they don’t get offended, but this is part of the prohibition for implementing agencies. DSWD has standard tarpaulins, and those are the only ones we will permit,” Razo said during a media forum on Thursday, April 10.
In cases where local government units (LGUs) are authorized to distribute aid, such as the social pension for senior citizens, they must first secure an exemption from the Commission on Elections (Comelec). Even then, candidate participation is strictly discouraged.
“If a candidate insists on attending, we will reschedule the distribution to ensure neutrality,” Razo added.
The agency is also urging the public to report any attempts by candidates to appear at distribution events or to pressure beneficiaries into political support under threat of removal from aid programs.
“Only the DSWD has the authority to delist beneficiaries—no one else,” Razo clarified.
Comelec has granted DSWD an exemption from the election spending ban for the following regular aid programs:
* Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP)
* Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens
* Sustainable Livelihood Program
* KALAHI-CIDSS-KKB for Community-Driven Development projects and Cash-for-Work programs * Services for Residential and Center-based Clients
* Supplementary Feeding Program
* LAWA and BINHI Project (Local Adaptation to Water Access-Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for the Impoverished)
* Philippines Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Project, Liwanag at Tubig Assistance Welfare
* Protective Services for Individuals & Families in Especially Difficult Circumstances Proper
* Recovery and Reintegration Program for Trafficked Persons
* Assistance to Persons with Disability and Senior Citizens
However, the exemption comes with strict conditions.
Comelec’s memorandum prohibits candidates and elected officials from attending distribution events between March 28 and May 11, 2025, and bars all distributions — including AKAP, Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), and Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) — from May 2 to May 12, 2025, except for medical and burial assistance.
The DSWD’s renewed vigilance sends a clear message: government aid should uplift the vulnerable, not be used as a political tool./PN