DSWD refusing aid referrals - Office of the Vice President

Metro Manila, Philippines — It’s one agency’s word against another’s over social aid referrals, and it seems politics has gotten the better of the whole exercise.

The Office of the Vice President (OVP) stood its ground that its referrals for aid to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) have been declined, saying Secretary Rex Gatchalian’s latest comment was “inaccurate and misleading.”

Gatchalian told a Senate committee hearing on Monday, Oct. 14, that DSWD Assistant Secretary Ulysses Aguilar already got in touch with the OVP’s handling officer, a certain Director Norman, to ask about the supposed snubbing. Norman Baloro is the OVP director for operations.

“Asec Uly will gladly give the exchange of text messages kasi tinanong namin sa kanya (Director Norman) ano ba ‘yung isyu para alam namin ano yung titingnan,” the DSWD chief said. “In fact, ang sabi niya wala rin ho siyang alam kasi lahat naman ng referral daw nila ay malugod namin tinatanggap.”

[Translation: Asec Uly will gladly give the exchange of text messages because we asked him what was the issue so that we know what to check. In fact, he said he also didn’t know because all of the referrals were accommodated.]

Gatchalian said his agency would submit the text messages to the Senate sub-committee deliberating the agency’s budget proposal once they get Baloro’s consent.

The DSWD’s main aid program is the Assistance for Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), which provides medical assistance, burial, transportation, education, food, or financial assistance for other support services or needs of a person or family.

Every application for assistance needs accompanying documents for the agency’s vetting.

In a statement on Tuesday, Baloro countered Gatchalian’s comment.

“The claim by Secretary Rexlon Gatchalian that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has accommodated all referrals from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) is inaccurate and misleading,” Baloro said in a statement shared by the OVP.

“While such statements may paint a picture of seamless coordination between our two offices, the reality on the ground tells a different story,” he added.

Baloro said the DSWD did not give a “clear explanation” for delays or inaction on referred clients.

In one instance, Baloro said DSWD refused the request for assistance of a group of people whose livelihood was affected by the African Swine Fever.

“The request was denied because the DSWD claimed that they cannot do ‘mass payout,’ and yet they are able to do it in other areas, together with other politicians,” he said.

He pointed out “clear evidence” from OVP satellite offices that some were left unattended by DSWD regional offices.

Baloro said there were 7,056 pending applications for AICS and 2,587 others for Sustainable Livelihood Program that were referred by OVP’s office in Panay and Negros Islands to the DSWD field office-Western Visayas. The aid has yet to reach beneficiaries, he added.

“Handa na rin ang listahan ng identified beneficiaries ng OVP Cebu, Bohol, and Siquijor satellite office, ngunit patuloy na bumabalik ang mga kliyente sa aming Tanggapan dahil wala silang natanggap mula sa DSWD,” he said.

[Translation: The list of identified beneficiaries from OVP Cebu, Bohol, and Siquijor satellite offices is ready, but the clients keep on returning to the OVP since they don’t receive anything from the DSWD.]

Politicized?

Sen. Imee Marcos, who headed committee deliberations on the DSWD’s proposed 2025 budget, asked for an update regarding the supposed denial of assistance during Monday’s hearing.

Marcos said that there were instances in other areas that aid payouts were stopped.

Before that, Sen. Bong Go asked Gatchalian if he was “selective” in what cities would be provided with aid — in seeming verbal attacks that the DSWD chief belongs to a political family.

“Hindi ho pinagsasamantalahan ng DSWD ‘yung pondo ng DSWD. Para sa taumbayan ho ‘yan, we agree with that,” Gatchalian assured lawmakers.

[Translation: The DSWD is not taking advantage of its funds. The funds are for the people, we agree with that.]

He also said the DSWD received this year a plaque from the OVP that “we are a valued partner, that we’d always help their referrals.”

“To dismiss these unserved clients is to ignore the real challenges many Filipinos face in accessing social services,” OVP’s Baloro said, calling for the “immediate action” from the DSWD in addressing the “gaps.”

Vice President Sara Duterte previously made the claim that those endorsed by her office for the social welfare department’s aid were rejected “dahil kalaban ‘yan [because they are of the enemy.]”

The vice president said this was one of the reasons her office requested funds for projects that seem to duplicate assistance programs of various agencies. Duterte said assistance programs have been “politicized.”

In its version of the 2025 budget bill, the House of Representatives cut the OVP expenditure plan to ₱733.2 million from ₱2.04 billion. It reallocated the reduced amount to programs of other agencies, including AICS and the Department of Health’s Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients.