Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez has expressed gratitude to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Secretary Rex Gatchalian for his response to address the chaotic distribution of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) through the DSWD in the city.
Benitez said he contacted Gatchalian on Friday, August 16, after he saw the chaotic payout at the Bacolod City College (BCC) Activity Center in Barangay Taculing.
He said most of the beneficiaries were senior citizens and persons with disability (PWDs) who went to the venue early, but the distribution started at past 11 a.m.
“Our beneficiaries were struggling with our system. They arrived around 6 a.m., but the distribution started past 11 a.m.,” he added.
The mayor noted that a total of 3,300 beneficiaries received cash assistance for medical, burial, and food assistance through the AICS program of the DSWD in Bacolod City on August 16.
Benitez said Gatchalian informed him that in a couple of months, they will implement an automated system for the payout for the convenience of the beneficiaries.
He said the DSWD is proposing to adopt the payout system of Bataan, which is it’s through a cash card, adding that they were already asked to send the officer-in-charge of the Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD) to the DSWD national office to coordinate for the implementation of the said system.
The mayor stressed that they want to address the long queue of the beneficiaries as well as the validation and registration during the payout.
Meanwhile, Benitez said they are also eyeing to implement the cash card in Bacolod Comprehensive Health Program (BacCHP)./MAP