Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Friday said their department’s Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) is not pork barrel and that barangay officials are not responsible for the list of beneficiaries.
“Let me reiterate that all the DSWD’s (Department of Social Welfare and Development) Field Offices across the country serve people in need, whether they are walk-in clients or were referred to by local government unit (LGU) officials. DSWD social workers process applications for AKAP and they determine the amount of aid to qualified beneficiaries,” Gatchalian said.
He issued the clarification in response to retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio’s statement claiming that cash assistance under AKAP “resembles the controversial pork barrel” and that “barangay officials submit the list of beneficiaries.”
“With due respect to the former Supreme Court Justice, AKAP is not pork barrel since any Good Samaritan can refer potential beneficiaries and the barangay has nothing to do with AKAP based on our existing guidelines,” Gatchalian said.
The DSWD chief maintained that the AKAP guidelines do not empower barangay officials to make the list of beneficiaries who will receive cash assistance from the agency.
He explained that although legislators and local officials can refer potential aid recipients, DSWD social workers are nonetheless responsible for vetting the eligibility of beneficiaries in accordance with AKAP guidelines.
“The original intention of the AKAP program is to protect the minimum wage earners and near-poor Filipinos from the effects of inflation that erode their buying power. It is intended to provide a menu of assistance for goods and services that are affected by high inflation depending on the needs of the individuals,” Gatchalian said.
The General Appropriations Act of 2024, specifically the Special Provision No. 3 of the DSWD Budget, authorized the funding for AKAP amounting to P26.7 billion.
This will serve as financial assistance to minimum wage earners categorized as low-income and severely affected by rising inflation. Within the first year of AKAP’s implementation from January to December 26 of this year, almost 5 million “near poor” Filipinos have benefited from the program.
