DSWD to release operations manual for emergency cash transfer during disasters

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), through the Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG), with support from the World Bank (WB), will launch the operations manual for implementing the emergency cash transfer during disasters on Monday, April 18.

The unveiling of operations manual will be held at the DSWD Central Office’s Malasakit Building in Quezon City.

According to the DSWD, the emergency cash transfer or ECT is “an adaptive strategy in bridging the gaps between immediate disaster relief, humanitarian response, and early recovery support through the provision of unconditional cash to victims of disasters and emergency situations requiring interventions.”

Moreover, the ECT program reduces the financial and administrative costs of the DSWD in delivering various food and non-food items to the affected areas and population.

It also minimizes security risks for personnel and logistical demands, since it uses financial service providers for the conduct of digital payouts.

Likewise, the program complements existing disaster response support by empowering affected vulnerable families to decide on their own needs using available local resources, thus supporting the early revival of local markets and acceleration to normalcy of internally displaced persons or IDPs.

Under the DSWD Memorandum Circular No. 17, Series of 2019 or the Guidelines in the Implementation of the Emergency Cash Transfer During Disasters, the launch of the operations manual of the ECT program is a key milestone of the agency’s continuing development of programs, projects and strategies to appropriately address the increasing and evolving needs of victims of disasters and calamities.

It will also serve as a guide to the implementers in managing the ECT implementation with the end in view of having its beneficiaries attain immediate normalcy.

The operations manual launch is expected to be attended by DSWD Secretary Rolando Joselito D. Bautista, DSWD-Disaster Response Management Group Undersecretary Felicismo C. Budiongan, DSWD Assistant Secretary Rodolfo M. Encabo, National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council Executive Director Ricardo B. Jalad, Senior Economist Yoonyoung (Yoon) Cho of the World Bank, Humanitarian Country Team-Cash Working Group, other United Nations agencies, donors and International organizations.