DSWD to ban pols during payouts

MANILA, Philippines — Guidelines prohibiting elective officials’ presence at off-site financial aid payouts will be adopted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Rules of the defunded Ayuda Para sa Kapos ang Kita Program or AKAP will be incorporated into the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said on Monday.

Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2025-01 restricted politicians from joining cash aid distribution.

“What we intend to do is to get that provision and explicitly move it to the memo circular for AICS,” Gatchalian said at a briefing at Malacañang.

Circular 2025-01 also prohibits the distribution of leaflets as well as display of posters and banners linking the program to political personalities.

Gatchalian emphasized that this restriction has long been part of the DSWD’s guidelines, whether for AICS, the Sustainable Livelihood Program and other direct cash aid programs.

But politicians have long been seen at distribution sites.

Social workers administering case management and payouts serve as an “extra line of defense” against people using government programs for personal gains, Gatchalian said.

No referral is needed to access the DSWD’s programs and services, he reiterated.

Gatchalian admitted to reporters that the DSWD receives referrals from people who want to help potential beneficiaries, but he said social workers are the ones who make the recommendations based on actual needs.