From the Website of INQUIRER links: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2047672/dswd-refocuses-akap-to-aid-those-earning-below-minimum-wage
DSWD refocuses Akap to aid those earning below minimum wage
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has redirected its Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (Akap) to support Filipinos earning below the minimum wage.
Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian announced the policy shift on Thursday during a press conference at the DSWD’s central office in Quezon City.
“Last year, the term used in the special provision was ‘low income.’ So now, it is more defined as below minimum wage… it is more focused because if you remember in the president’s veto message, he says below minimum wage. So, those who qualify are citizens who are below minimum wage,” he said in Filipino.
The revised guidelines require the publication of Akap beneficiaries on the DSWD website and social media platforms to enhance transparency, he added.
As the mid-year elections are fast approaching, measures have been set to prevent political interference.
Candidates will not be allowed to attend payout events or display campaign materials linking them to the program.
“We will make sure that in the conduct of the payouts — because that is becoming an issue, right? — there are no politicians. And we will make sure that their materials are also not there,” Gatchalian said in Filipino.
Nearly five million near-poor Filipinos benefited from Akap during its first year. The program achieved a 99.31 percent utilization rate of its P26.7-billion budget. Regions such as Cagayan Valley, Davao, and Caraga posted 100 percent fund utilization.
For 2025, P26 billion has been allocated to AKAP, targeting five million below-minimum-wage earners with medical, funeral, food, and cash relief through DSWD’s Crisis Intervention Units and satellite offices.
Gatchalian said the guidelines were crafted with input from the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)
“I want to emphasize that the Akap guidelines were thoroughly studied and shaped. Not only us in the DSWD, we were also with the DOLE and NEDA in shaping the joint memo circular that became the basis for our rollout of Akap,” he explained in Filipino. — Sheba Barr, INQUIRER.net intern
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