MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development on Tuesday urged the public to be extra vigilant in engaging with any group or organization, following a recent incident during a payout activity for the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation.
In a statement sent to reporters Monday night, the DSWD said the incident involved a group posing as department personnel for senior citizens and persons’ with disability.
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According to the DSWD Crisis Intervention Division, which conducted the payout, the group recruited members and required them to pay for identification cards worth P350 pesos as an assurance to receive financial assistance from the Department through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation fund.
The department reminded the public that senior citizens or persons with disability cards are not for sale and do not immediately guarantee the disbursement of financial assistance.
It added that it is implementing screening and verification procedures, based on the DSWD Memorandum Circular No. 11 series of 2019 as amended by Memorandum Circular No. 24, series of 2020, during payouts to ensure the eligibility of possible beneficiaries of the program.
"Through this protocol, the DSWD will be able to verify the legitimacy of the documents presented by clients while social workers will be able to conduct assessments in order to recommend appropriate amounts of assistance to be given to them, depending on their needs," the department added.
According to a study by the Philippine Institute of Development Studies, many senior citizens struggle with poverty.
Of the estimated 7.5 million senior citizens in the country, about 890,000, or 13.2%, belong to families classified by the government as income poor while another 400,000 or around 4.3% of them are recorded as food poor.
The DSWD in its statement reminded all sectors that its services can be availed of whether one is a member of an organization or not based on assessment.
It also called on the public to report similar incidents and scams to the Department through (028) 931-81010 to 07 or to any DSWD Field Office nationwide.