PLDT-Smart free app tapped for cash aid

MANILA, Philippines — Leading telco group PLDT-Smart is providing free access to all Smart, TNT and SUN subscribers for the use of ReliefAgad mobile app being tapped by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for the distribution of the second tranche of P5,000 to P8,000 emergency cash subsidy under the administration’s Social Amelioration Program (SAP).

“We encourage qualified beneficiaries to register at the ReliefAgad app and link their mobile numbers so they can receive their financial assistance faster via digital means,” said Alfredo Panlilio, Smart president and CEO and PLDT chief revenue officer.

“This service is another addition to the collective bayanihan efforts of the PLDT group in assisting government agencies, NGOs and the general public, in our efforts to control the spread of COVID-19,” Jovy Hernandez, ePLDT president and CEO and SVP and head of PLDT and Smart Enterprise Business Groups.

“We are committed to assisting the DSWD in promoting electronic registrations to the ReliefAgad app for more efficient distribution of the second tranche of cash relief through contactless transactions,” Hernandez said.

Last month, DSWD tapped PayMaya as one of the payment methods in the ReliefAgad app. Beneficiaries of SAP and of the Assistance to Individuals in Conflict Situations (AICS) may choose to receive the cash aid through their PayMaya accounts.

Through the partnership, AICS beneficiaries may get their cash aid from any of the 30,000 Smart Padala branches nationwide through PayMaya.

They may also use the funds in their accounts to pay for bills, groceries or other daily essentials, as well as purchase airtime load or send money to other PayMaya users through the PayMaya app.

The DSWD, with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), tapped the Developers Connect (Devcon) community of technology experts (DCTx) led by Winston Damarillo for the creation of the ReliefAgad mobile app, launched last May 14.

ReliefAgad enables DSWD and local government units (LGUs) to expedite the capture of social amelioration details and interface with any electronic payment system for faster cash delivery to targeted beneficiaries.

Utilizing the RapidPass platform, ReliefAgad uses a combination of crowdsourcing and manual encoding or batch uploading by LGUs. Through the ReliefAgad mobile app, beneficiaries can register and send their SAC details to the DSWD and concerned LGUs.

Damarillo said the ReliefAgad app has so far attracted four million registrants. “We are hoping to get two to three million more,” Damarillo told The STAR.

This developed as the Office of the Ombudsman reported receiving more complaints against local government officials over alleged anomalies in the distribution of SAP.

In an interview with CNN Philippines yesterday, Ombudsman Samuel Martires said his office has received 30 SAP-related complaints from just 11 early this month.

“Based on the initial evaluation done by our staff, some complaints are very vague, providing us with only the names of the barangay officials without any details of the supposed anomalies,” Martires said.

Martires said his office may seek the help of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) especially in the gathering of documents that could aid in the investigation.

“I have to discuss it first with the secretary of the DILG. They really have to produce, provide us with the data, because they are the ones who are in the field,” Martires said.

He admitted ombudsman investigators are having difficulty pinpointing fake SAP claimants.

“I think we will have a hard time finding out the fake claimants. It will be really hard to trace this supposed duplication, but I think we will have to go back to the lists of voters per barangay,” Martires said.

On Thursday, the DSWD said validation of the distribution of the first tranche of cash subsidy under the SAP revealed some 22,000 duplicate beneficiaries.

Martires said officials found liable for pocketing or misuse of SAP funds would face administrative and criminal complaint including plunder, graft and malversation of public funds.

The Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has implicated over 700 local government officials and other individuals in alleged anomalies in the distribution of SAP.

The CIDG has investigated 496 complaints received from April 1 to June 17 against 728 individuals related to questionable distribution of the cash assistance.

CIDG deputy director for administration Brig. Gen. Rhoderick Armamento said 283 of those under investigation are elected government officials, including 136 barangay captains and six Sangguniang Kabataan chairpersons.

The other 445 individuals were barangay secretaries, treasurers and purok leaders.

“The respondents facilitated the inclusion of unqualified individuals,” Armamento said.

Some are also accused of forcing recipients to give them a share of the emergency cash subsidy.

He said they have so far filed 157 cases in court while the rest are either under investigation or endorsed to other government agencies.  Elizabeth Marcelo, Romina Cabrera, Emmanuel Tupas