THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) announced on Thursday that it would soon comply with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to establish enhanced guidelines for the release of funds under the Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita (Akap) program.
Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian is set to meet on Friday with officials from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) to finalize the new guidelines. This collaboration is a prerequisite under the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) before the program’s ₱26-billion budget can be disbursed.
The Akap program, a social assistance initiative for low-income workers below the poverty line, aims to benefit approximately 5 million grantees in 2025. Despite some lawmakers’ concerns, including those raised by Senator Imee Marcos, the President did not veto the program’s funding but stressed the importance of inter-agency coordination to ensure transparency and public trust in fund allocation.
DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao assured the public of the agency’s urgency in crafting the guidelines. “We will work fast to ensure the conditional release of the funds is addressed,” she said, emphasizing the program’s high budget utilization rate of 99.3% in 2024.
Regions such as Cagayan Valley, Davao, and Caraga achieved a 100% utilization rate of their Akap allocation last year. Gatchalian underscored that the program would remain insulated from political influence, even in the context of the upcoming 2025 elections.
“The DSWD will not be used by anybody for their political gains, not next year, not ever,” he asserted, clarifying that only social workers are authorized to assess applicants for eligibility, and no congressional district or local government unit is entitled to any specific allocation.
The enhanced guidelines are expected to ensure that the Akap program continues to serve as a transparent and effective form of social assistance for those in need.