The first year implementation of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) was very successful, having demonstrated a strong impact on many near-poor Filipinos, the agency’s spokesperson Irene Dumlao said on Thursday.
Dumlao, also assistant secretary of the DSWD, said nearly 5 million near-poor Filipinos have benefited from the AKAP during its first year of implementation from January to December last year.
“The AKAP has demonstrated strong impact with PHP26.157 billion in funds, or 99.31 percent utilization rate, from the total PHP26.7 billion budget allocation for 2024,” Dumlao said.
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.
Eligible beneficiaries received cash assistance of PHP5,000 each from the program.
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 includes 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 (FOs) 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 Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., 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 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 earlier assured the public that the PHP26-billion budget of AKAP, one of the agency’s social protection programs, will be insulated from politics.
“The DSWD will not be used by anybody for their political gains not next year, not ever,” Gatchalian said, dismissing claims by some quarters that AKAP is allegedly being used for political purposes, including “vote buying.”
He said DSWD social workers apply a stringent verification and validation process for clients seeking 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.
He further 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 agency’s FOs actively coordinate and work with LGU officials in payout activities but only for logistical support, he added.
The funding for AKAP, he said, comes from the agency’s budget as provided under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) signed by President Marcos last Dec. 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 said. (PNA)