The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Western Visayas has assured the public that it will improve its distribution system for its one-time cash assistance for indigent students.
This, after thousands flocked to Ayala Malls Capitol Central in Bacolod City on Saturday, August 20, for the initial payout, but only 587 indigent students in the city and the province received cash assistance amounting to P2.203 million.
Chaos ensued after the local DSWD office announced that only 600 beneficiaries from Bacolod City and Negros Occidental will be accommodated on the first day of the cash payout. More than 7,000 reportedly lined up outside of the mall. Some had started the queue as early as Friday night, August 19.
Videos of the huge crowd forcing their way inside the mall also surfaced on Facebook.
The giving out of cash assistance was on a first come, first serve basis.
The next cash distribution is on August 27, September 3, 10, 17 and 24.
DSWD-Region 6 director Delia Villa-Bagolcol said in a statement on August 20 that the agency will set up a better system to ensure the orderly and smooth payout in the succeeding schedules.
One option being eyed is tapping partners at the local government units, she added.
In Western Visayas, a total of P20.7 million in educational assistance for students in crisis in the region were initially released. It was received by 5,144 beneficiaries.
Of the amount, 719 beneficiaries were served in Aklan with P2,671,000; Antique, 613 with P2,263,000; Capiz, 957 with P4,700,000; Guimaras, 555 with P1,173,000; Iloilo, 1,713 with P7,750,000; and Negros Occidental, 587 with P2,203,000.
“The educational assistance is to help students who are in crisis. This is to help in their school expenses such as school supplies, projects, allowances and others,” Villa-Bagolcol said.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said the cash distribution was not coordinated through the provincial government.
“I understand the coordination was in Bacolod City to cover the whole of Negros Occidental which made it very difficult for the recipients. What I heard from the recipients was they were asking why they had to come all the way to Bacolod, it should have been done per LGU or district. We have to learn from this experience. Its best distributed through the LGUs,” he said.
Marlyn Porras, head of the DSWD-Social Welfare and Development (SWAD) –satellite office, said they will coordinate with the city governments of Sagay and Himamaylan for two additional satellite offices in order to avoid the influx of students in the next payout schedule.
Those who are qualified for the assistance are students who are breadwinners, working students, have no family on living with a relative, a child of a solo parent, parents with no source of living, child of Overseas Filipino Workers, child of HIV victims, victim of abuse or a victim of natural disasters.
For registration, applicants may fill out an online form through https://bit.ly/dswdfo6EducAssistance; scan a QR code, or send an email to dswd.educassistance@gmail.com, the DSWD-6 said.*