Three government agencies are currently in the process of fine tuning a system that should free beneficiaries of the Ayuda Para sa Kapos ang Kita (AKAP) Program from the influence of politicians.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development, the lead agency for the distribution of the financial aid to the near poor; Department of Labor and Employment; and the National Economic and Development Authority have undertaken the fine tuning or a “refined intake form to assess the eligibility” of AKAP beneficiaries.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian affirmed that AKAP-referred clients and their documents are still subject to the social workers’ assessment and their stringent vetting process, while the NEDA will monitor and evaluate, and the DOLE will provide information and list potential beneficiaries. The Philippine Statistics Authority, a NEDA attached agency, also stands ready to provide needed information, such as how many are working in the family and who among them are minimum wage earners.
At the end of the meeting, Gatchalian, who vowed to shield AKAP from politics, will furnish the new guidelines and intake form as soon as possible.
The heads of the government agencies involved convened last week in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive that calls for the crafting of new guidelines for the conditional implementation of AKAP for fiscal year 2025.
The indiscriminate distribution of millions worth of ayuda funds by legislators has been denounced by several quarters, including Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who has noted that their funds are almost unlimited, as he also blamed lawmakers for “making it appear (that such funds) are their personal funds.”
Any attempt by national government agencies to control the use of government funds and dole outs by politicians to promote their brands and win votes, gaining an unfair advantage over those who don’t have easy access to the nation’s coffers, is most definitely welcome. Hopefully the government officials responsible for the proper use of those funds can put in the protections, close loopholes, and resist any pressure that could lead to improper use.*
