THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 7 is urging local government units (LGUs) to verify their emergency cash transfer (ECT) beneficiary lists for typhoon Tino after the total submission amount reached P1.3 billion.
The agency warned the figure may be “bloated” due to misclassified damage assessments.
DSWD 7 Director Shalaine Marie Lucero said the lists submitted by the LGUs are now being validated. She cited past experiences when the DSWD received complaints from residents who claimed their homes were incorrectly categorized as either totally or partially damaged.
Lucero said the distribution of P10,000 cash aid for those whose houses were destroyed and P5,000 for those with damaged homes will begin in eight severely affected localities on Dec. 11-13, 2025, pending the LGUs’ final validation.
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck northern Cebu last Sept. 30, while typhoon Tino struck central Cebu on Nov. 4.
According to data presented by Lucero, a total of 666,455 families or 2,524,734 individuals were affected by the typhoon in Central Visayas.
ECT distribution
For typhoon Tino, DSWD 7 received an initial P173 million to cover aid for about 41,000 beneficiaries in eight severely affected LGUs, namely: Cebu City, Talisay City, Mandaue City, Danao City, Liloan, Consolacion, Compostela, and Balamban.
The payout will take place on Thursday, Dec. 11, Friday, Dec. 12, and Saturday, Dec. 13.
For earthquake-hit areas, P570 million worth of ECT payouts have already been distributed, with more than P300 million pending release once funds arrive.
Lucero explained that when inconsistencies arise, excess funds previously given to households with incorrect classifications are returned to the agency.
DSWD 7 continues to coordinate with LGUs to finalize the lists and ensure a clean and accurate roll of beneficiaries for the upcoming payouts.
Verification Issues
According to Lucero, several errors have been observed in submitted lists, including duplicate names, incomplete entries, and misclassified damage levels.
Some households initially tagged as “totally damaged” were later found to be only partially destroyed, while some that were listed as partially destroyed turned out to be completely destroyed upon verification.
She said the responsibility for initial listing lies with the LGUs as they can mobilize barangay officials, health workers, and purok teams for house damage verification.
“Whatever clean list is available by the time of pay out is what the DSWD will use as basis. So for example, 1,000 names were submitted but only 800 are on the clean list, then we will pay for only 800,” she said in a mix of Cebuano and English.
Lucero emphasized that the cash aid will only be released to beneficiaries whose names appear on the validated payroll. Claimants must present identification, while those claiming on behalf of another person must provide proper authorization.
The distributions will be facilitated by DSWD’s special disbursement officers.
Lucero said LGUs are required to use the Family Assistance Card in Emergency Disaster which details the extent of damage in each household. / CDF