The Department of Social Welfare and Development on Saturday distributed assistance to indigent students even as Benguet Congressman Eric Yap expressed his appreciation to the agency for its proactive efforts to help more Filipinos in need.
“For so many years, the DSWD has implemented AICS to cater to the needs of disadvantaged individuals. With the upcoming opening of classes, the agency recognized the need for assistance of the students and actively took measures to extend help. Through Secretary Tulfo, the DSWD opened its doors to make its AICS program more accessible to the indigent youth all over the country,” Yap said.
“What occurred during the payout shows how many indigent students stand in need of educational cash aid. This experience during the first weekend is one of the birth pains of change. The DSWD commits to improve the system to address the challenges encountered by those who stood in line to have their documents processed,” he added.
The solon also stressed that the initiative of Tulfo, saying that the new DSWD secretary intends to get rid of the ‘palakasan system’ in which the beneficiaries of the agency’s programs are determined according to their connections.
“By opening the doors of the agency, he made AICS available to all the qualified indigents,” said Yap.
“Since his appointment, what he has done is beyond the bare minimum. He could have taken the safer route and sticked with the accustomed work and process in the agency, but he didn’t. He chose to be proactive, attempting to change the routine to help more of those in need. Thus, we seek for the patience and cooperation of our kababayans as the agency continue to enhance their system to help more families struggling during this difficult time,” he added.