Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian maintained that no referral is needed to access the Ayuda sa Kapos Ang Kita Program (AKAP) as only social workers can determine who qualifies for the program and the corresponding amount of assistance to be given.
In a radio interview, Gatchalian answered a question on measures undertaken by DSWD to protect AKAP from being used by politicians during the campaign period. He said DSWD makes the sole decision to provide AKAP with requests for assistance carefully assessed by agency social workers.
“We assure that only one group can determine who can receive financial assistance, only one group can promise you, that is the social workers of DSWD,” Gatchalian said in Filipino.
AKAP is provided to individuals in crisis situations who are earning below the minimum wage rate. Persons who are qualified may go directly to the DSWD office nearest them bringing their identification cards and proofs of “need,” such as medical bills, death certificates, hospital promissory notes, and the like.
The DSWD chief further explained that politicians are not even allowed inside pay-out centers as specifically stated in the joint AKAP guidelines drafted by the DSWD together with the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
“In our guidelines, not only in AKAP but also Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), it is actually stated that our political friends are not allowed to go to payout centers. That means they can’t be there while we’re paying out,” Gatchalian said.
The Social Welfare Secretary also appealed to the public to be vigilant against politicians issuing promises using AKAP and other DSWD programs.