The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said it will strictly implement a “no walk-in policy” during its educational assistance payout on Saturday, Aug. 27, as only registered individuals who have received text or email confirmation from the agency will be entertained.
“Ang panawagan po namin muli, nagmamakaawa na po , na sana po kung kayo ay walang text confirmation na matatanggap, wag na po muna kayong pumunta sa aming payout centers. Wala po talagang mage-entertain sa inyo. Masasayang ang pagpunta niyo doon (This is our call again, we are begging you, that if you did not receive a text confirmation or email confirmation, please do not go to our payout centers. No one will entertain you. You will just waste your time going there),” DSWD Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Romel Lopez said in a press conference on Friday, Aug. 26.
“Wag na po dalhin ang mga bata, mga minor . Hindi po kailangan kasama ang estudyante. yung mga 18 years old pataas, pwede na po na kayo ang magprocess ng inyong educational assistance (Do not bring children, minors to payout sites. Students do not need to be accompanied by their parents. But those 18 years old and above can already process their educational assistance),” he added.
DSWD Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao noted that the text and email confirmation tells when and where the educational assistance application will be held.
Dumlao said that the necessary documents that need to be brought to the payout site were also stated in the text and email confirmation.
The DSWD, in coordination with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), had identified over 200 payout sites for the educational assistance distribution under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program.
At the payout site, a local social welfare officer will conduct an initial screening, where the applicant will be asked to present the text or email confirmation of their schedule from the DSWD and submit the required documents for verification.
Lopez said the applicant should bring any of the following documents:
* Certificate of enrollment or registration
* School ID of the student
* Statement of account
* Any document issued by the school that can establish that the student is enrolled
Once the documents have been verified, a DSWD social worker will further assess the applicant’s socio-economic conditions, vulnerabilities, coping capacity, and social functioning to confirm that he/she is a “student-in-crisis.”
Those who are considered by the DSWD to be students in crisis are:
* breadwinner,
* working student,
* orphan/abandoned and living with relatives,
* child of a single parent,
* child whose parents are unemployed,
* child of an overseas Filipino worker,
* victim of child abuse,
* have a parent with human immunodeficiency virus or HIV, and
* victim of calamity or disaster.
Lopez said they are hoping to serve 375,000 to 400,000 students with the P1.5 billion budget allotted for the educational assistance program.
Each student may receive P1,000 for those in elementary, P2,000 for those in high school, P3,000 for those in senior high school, and P4,000 for those in college/vocational school. The educational assistance will be given every Saturday until Sept. 24.
“Sapat naman hanggang sa last payout natin, yun pong Sept. 24, yun atin naman pong alloted budget. Nais din namin linawin sa ating mga kababayan na hindi naman po ibig sabihin na kayo ay nakapag-online register, nakatanggap ng text confirmation na otomatiko na po kayong makatatanggap ng ayuda o educational assistance (Our allotted budget is enough until our last payout on Sept. 24. We also want to clarify to our countrymen that it does not mean that you have registered online or received a text confirmation that you will automatically receive aid or educational assistance,” Lopez said.
“Ito pong educational cash assistance ay nakadepende sa assessment ng ating social worker. Hindi ibig sabihin na kayo’y nagpunta dun ay automatically, pag-uwi ay kayo ay may matatanggap (This educational cash assistance depends on the assessment of our social worker. It does not mean that you went there, automatically you will bring home something),” he added.
Moreover, Dumlao said the DSWD is still studying the possibility of assisting individuals who may not have smartphones or internet connection to register for the educational assistance program.
“We recognize may areas tayo na (that we have areas that are) geographically isolated or disadvantaged. Kaya (That is why) our field offices are tasked to prepare their implementation plan. They can devise strategies on how we can register these individuals without smartphones or internet connection,” she added.
Lopez said the DSWD has so far provided educational cash assistance worth P170 miliion to 70,000 students since Aug. 20.