DSWD to probe another case of alleged cash aid deduction
A Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) official said on Friday, June 28, that the agency will investigate another reported case of aid deduction, this time in Cagayan de Oro City.
In the latest case, a coordinator allegedly deducted P9,300 from a P10,000 financial assistance intended for three beneficiaries under the DSWD's Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program.
“Firstly, it is important that we get the details of the incident so we can make the necessary investigation. Secondly, we treat this again as an isolated case because there’s only one complainant pertaining to the issue. Of course, we cannot generalize that this is happening in the entire region. But then again, as I have said, we will do the corresponding investigation,” DSWD Assistant Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) and Spokesperson Irene Dumlao said in Filipino.
She said the DSWD's Field Office in Northern Mindanao will lead the investigation and ensure appropriate measures are taken to address the issue.
Dumlao reiterated the agency’s warning against individuals intending to deduct grants received by beneficiaries of its AICS program, as these actions are criminal in nature.
“We will make sure that the appropriate charges will be filed against the individual who is found to commit the withholding of assistance,” she said.
Dumlao also pointed out the previous action taken by the agency in a similar case in Davao Region.
On June 10, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian directed the regional director of DSWD Field Office 11 (Davao Region) to facilitate the filing of charges against a barangay official who allegedly deducted P8,500 from a P10,000 aid package intended for a pregnant woman.