The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) must overhaul its aid distribution system following heartbreaking reports of beneficiaries dying while waiting in line for "ayuda" or government assistance.

Thus, said Senior Citizens Party-list Rep. Rodolfo “Ompong” Ordanes, senior vice chairman of the House Committee on Senior Citizens in the current 20th Congress.

Ordanes was referring to the case of a certain 73-year-old senior citizen who was reportedly struck by a pick-up truck as he lined up for the government’s P20-per-kilo rice program and cash assistance distribution.

Another beneficiary, a 55-year-old woman, was also reported to have collapsed and later died while waiting for aid during the assistance distribution of DSWD in Quezon City Hall.

According to Ordanes, these incidents should serve as a warning that serious flaws exist in the implementation and delivery of government assistance programs.

“Ito ay hindi simpleng aksidente lamang. Ito ay paalala na may mali sa paraan ng pagdadala ng serbisyo sa tao,” Ordanes said.

(This is not a simple accident. It is a reminder that something is wrong with the way services are brought to the people.)

He also cited an earlier case involving a motorcycle rider who reportedly died while waiting in line for a P5,000 cash assistance payout. He said the incident reflected the dangers faced by Filipinos forced to spend hours waiting under the searing summer heat for aid.

The elderly congressman wondered how many more Filipinos would have to die before government agencies acknowledge what he described as systemic problems in the implementation of aid distribution programs.

He likewise criticized the DSWD for allegedly focusing too much on public visibility and image-building efforts while beneficiaries continue to endure long lines under unsafe conditions.

“Nanawagan ako sa DSWD at sa pamunuan nito: itigil ang pag-aaksaya ng oras sa anumang gawain na nakatuon sa pagkuha ng atensyong pampubliko habang may mga kababayan tayong nahihirapan at namamatay sa pila,” he said.

(I call on the DSWD and its leadership: stop wasting time on activities focused solely on gaining public attention while our fellow Filipinos continue to struggle and die in queues.)

Ordanes urged the agency to prioritize reforms such as strengthening beneficiary databases, expanding digital and door-to-door distribution systems when necessary, improving crowd management, establishing separate lanes for senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and sick individuals, and maximizing the use of technology to minimize long waiting times and exposure to extreme weather conditions.

“Bilang kinatawan ng mga senior at miyembro ng gobyerno, hindi ko matatanggap na ang mga Pilipino ay nailalagay sa sitwasyong delikado para lamang makatanggap ng tulong,” stressed Ordanes.

(As the representative of senior citizens and as a member of the government, I cannot accept that Filipinos are being placed in dangerous situations to receive assistance.)

“Ang ayuda ay dapat nagliligtas ng buhay at hindi nagiging dahilan ng pagkawala nito (Aid should save lives, not become the reason lives are lost)," he further said.