SOCIAL Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian said on Friday that tighter guidelines for the implementation of the Ayuda Para sa Kapos ang Kita (AKAP) Program were needed to ensure judicious use of public funds.
AKAP’s implementation was under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), as ordered by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“I am meeting with NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan and Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma of DOLE because the three of us were assigned to come up with joint guidelines as required by the conditional implementation of AKAP,” Gatchalian said.
Gatchalian said the goal was to make the program a long-term solution to challenges faced by vulnerable sectors, noting aid disbursement would be in accordance with the DSWD’s tightest regulations.
“We make sure that every single individual that comes in and avails of it is properly vetted by our social workers. Remember that in all our programs, we normally do a social case wherein the social workers take time to interview, vet, and understand the individual needs of an individual,” he added.
AKAP provides cash assistance to minimum wage earners and near-poor Filipinos to help them cope with inflation.
“We’re going to make sure that only those who are below minimum wage earners will be given AKAP or financial assistance as part of this program,” Gatchalian added.
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