The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) launched Thursday, August 13, its uSAPtayo website to enable the public to report online their grievances on the implementation of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP).
DSWD Secretary Rolando Bautista said the portal was developed through the technical support of the World Bank, and the Australian government.
"Maraming salamat sa Australian government at World Bank sa assistance na binigay sa DSWD (Thank you so much to the Australian government and World Bank for the assistance they extended to the DSWD),” he said in a virtual press briefing, even as he assured the public that the agency is exhausting all means to complete the digital and manual payout of SAP cash subsidies by August 15.
He said that uSAPtayo website is accessible 24/7, which will be in addition to the agency’s hotlines, and social media accounts created to respond to complaints on the program.
DSWD Agency Operations Center Director Ferdinand Budeng explained that the uSAPtayo is an initiative of the DSWD to improve grievance handling and resolution.
"It is in response to common complaints and concerns of the public on the program, such as the ineligibility of other beneficiaries, violations on the distribution process, and delay in the distribution of the aid, among others,” he said.
According to him, in four easy steps, the public can transmit their grievances: one, visit www.usaptayo.dswd.gov.ph; two, click makipag-usap; three, fill out the information and upload supporting documents or proof; and four, click submit.
In a statement, the DSWD said with the launching of the uSAPtayo website, the public can expect “timely and appropriate” responses from DSWD regarding the SAP implementation.
"With technical support from the World Bank, Australian Embassy, and the Japan-World Bank Disaster Risk Management Program, DSWD is continuously improving its institutional service delivery mechanisms to be more responsive to the public’s needs and sentiments through the development of the uSAPtayo website,” it said.
It said any grievance received either through online registration or call center is encoded in the portal and a unique reference number is generated which can be used to follow-up and track progress of the filed complaints.
"Grievance officers process each and every grievance received through the portal for speedy disposal within three days except for complex grievances which may have to be referred to other concerned Offices or authorities,” it said.
The agency assured the public that all personal information received will be used solely to address and resolve the SAP issues or grievances.
For more information about uSAPtayo, the public may visit DSWD Field Offices or send an email to [email protected] or [email protected].
Aside from the uSAPtayo website, the public can also ask questions and provide feedback through DSWD’s hotlines: 0947-482-2864, 0916-247-1194 and 0932-933-3251. The public may also send text messages to 0918-912-2813 or visit DSWD’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, @dswdserves.