Pasig City—Approximately 16,500 or around 80 percent of the waitlisted beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Social Amelioration Program (SAP) in Pasig have already successfully claimed their “ayuda.”
The disbursement of the benefits was coursed through Starpay, one of the Financial Service Providers entrusted by the DSWD to ensure the quick, speedy, and secure disbursement of the second tranche of SAP, including those of the waitlisted beneficiaries from the first tranche.
“We understand the state of the beneficiaries and know that the delivery of their ayuda at the soonest is critical, which is why we’ve worked to coordinate with the DSWD Field Office as well as with the barangay to ensure a well-coordinated scheduled payout,” emphasizes Starpay Chief Operating Officer Richard Rosettes.
Disbursement began in the second week of July with Pasig City having over 20,000 beneficiaries counted as waitlisted. Starpay has committed to completing the distribution to all the beneficiaries by the month's end.
Through a web portal provided by Starpay, beneficiaries were able to validate and schedule themselves for their payout. After keying in the required details, the portal issues a unique reference number and schedule for when the beneficiaries can claim their ayuda.
The disbursement was done in close partnership with the DSWD Field Office in Pasig and with M. Lhuillier, Starpay's payout partner. The waitlisted beneficiaries nationwide total to about 5 million individuals, with several providers including Starpay already tasked to prepare for the distribution of the benefits.
Starpay is also a partner of the DSWD with its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program, targeting to disburse to over 20,000 beneficiaries of the project.
Starpay currently has around 10,000 partners across the country consisting of banks, remittance centers
and pawnshops ensuring the widest possible reach and availability of cash for beneficiaries.
“We aspire to be the first to truly serve the unbanked and underbanked population in the country, and
through this digital distribution of the SAP, we aim to include the beneficiaries in this digital financial
ecosystem where we can achieve real financial inclusion for all,” Rosettes said.