ILOILO CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development-6 has started releasing the first batch of the P60.9-million cash aid for low-income families in Western Visayas.
The DSWD-6 rolled out this weekend the Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) that will benefit 20,311 families in Western Visayas.
“We are glad that this time, the near poor – who are also contributing in our economy – get the assistance from the government. This is the sector that we do not want to fall back to poverty due to economic shocks such as the inflation nowadays,” said DSWD-6 Director Carmelo Nochete.
Each of the family-beneficiary is receiving P3,000 cash.
Negros Occidental province has the highest number of target family-beneficiaries with 7,440, followed by 5,222 families in Iloilo province, 3,414 in Capiz province, 2,504 families in Antique province, and 1,731 families in Aklan.
The AKAP distribution is spearheaded by Nochete. He is assisted by DSWD-6 Assistant Regional Directors Arwin Razo and Joselito Estember, Protective Services Division Chief Katherine Joy Lamprea, Crisis Intervention Section Chief Beverly Salazar, division chiefs, team leaders, and the local government units (LGUs).
The DSWD-6 said that beneficiaries of DSWD programs such as 4Ps and social pension are not qualified to receive AKAP assistance.