DSWD-6 targets 11,751 students for September 3 educational aid payout

By Jennifer P. Rendon and John Noel E. Herrera

More students are expected to get their educational assistance for the third payout today, Sept 3, 2022.

Records from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Region 6 showed that 11,751 beneficiaries have been scheduled to receive their aid under the agency’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program.

Atty. May Rago Castillo, DSWD-6 public information officer, said that most of these beneficiaries are in Iloilo province with 3,325.

Negros Occidental province will have around 2,674 beneficiaries while Capiz has 1,301 beneficiaries; the provinces of Aklan and Antique will have 1,300 beneficiaries each; Bacolod City with 701; Iloilo City with; and Guimaras with 500.

Castillo said the number of beneficiaries for this Saturday’s payout was based on the applicants who have been approved to undergo assessment.

Again, she also reminded everybody that the “no walk-in policy” will still be implemented for the assessment and payout of the educational assistance.

“Sa liwat, wala sang walk-in clients nga paga-intertenaron. Indi magkadto sa venue kung wala kabaton sang text ukon email. Ang makadto lang ang nakabaton sang mensahe halin sa DSWD,” Castillo said

(Again, there will be no walk-in clients that will be entertained. Do not go to the venue if you did not receive a text or email. Those who were able to receive a message from DSWD will only be the ones who will go.)

“That is for the safety and order, and security of everyone, so I hope that they were all able to understand it,” she added.

Castillo has asked applicants to appear on their scheduled assessment “because the very purpose of the schedule is to manage the crowd.”

Castillo also assured those who have not yet received a reply in email or text messages that the department will soon cater to their applications and reply to them.

She also noted that the venues for the September 3 payout have gone up to 30.

There are 11 payout sites in Iloilo province, six in Negros Occidental, four in Capiz; three each in Aklan and Antique; and one each in Guimaras, Iloilo City, and Bacolod City.

In Iloilo, the payout venues are in:

* Lone district (650 clients) – Barangay Zamora-Melliza Gym, Iloilo City;

* First district (541 clients) – Municipal gym of Guimbal;

* Second district (387) – Municipal gym of Sta. Barbara;

* Second district (232) – New Evacuation Center, San Miguel

* Third district (387) – Municipal gym of Janiuay

* Third district (155) – Tirador Complex – Pototan

* Third district (155) – Brgy. Tranghawan Gym in Lambunao

* Fourth district (309) – Municipal gym of Anilao;

* Fourth district (309) – Brgy. Man-it Gym, Passi City;

* Fifth district (155) – Evacuation center in Poblacion, Barotac Viejo;

* Fifth district (387) – Municipal Gym, Sara; and

* Fifth district (309) – Balantian Covered Gym, Balasan

“For qualified beneficiaries who were not scheduled on the September 3 payout, they will have three more Saturdays to apply,” Castillo said.

It was gathered that DSWD-6 has P47 million remaining funds for the assistance.

If it will get exhausted and there are still remaining applicants, “we will request for additional funds from the Central Office,” she said.

To date, DSWD-6 was able to cater to 16,033 during the August 20 and August 27 payouts.

Of the said number, 3,937 are elementary; 3,214 junior high school; 2,015 senior high school; and 6,867 college students.

Iloilo has the most number of beneficiaries at 5,201 clients.

The amount of financial assistance disbursed reached P15.118 million.

The regional department also said that they have already allocated P91 million worth of funds for educational assistance under the AICS program.

DSWD-6 released a total of P22,786,000 cash assistance on the second Saturday of distribution last Aug 27.

The payout is also set to continue on Sept 10, 17, and 24, 2022.

This AICS program aims to assist ‘students-in-crisis’ by helping them defray school expenses, while the qualified beneficiaries include those who are breadwinners, working students, orphaned or abandoned or now living with relatives, children of solo parents, unemployed parents, Overseas Filipinos, Persons With Disabilities, rebel returnees, Persons Deprived of Liberty, or Persons Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (PLHIV), or children living with HIV, children who are victims of abuse, displacement, or of human-induced or natural calamities.