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In a bid to avoid complaints of politicking, Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Sunday said that the government was formulating guidelines for the controversial cash assistance program Ayuda Para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (Akap).
The proposed guidelines will ensure the eligibility of individuals before qualifying as beneficiaries under Akap, which was a last-minute insertion in the 2025 General Appropriations Act and highly criticized for its possibility of swaying voters in the upcoming 2025 midterm elections.
READ: DSWD, Dole, Neda to craft guidelines for release of P26-B Akap funds
Gatchalian said he met with Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan last Friday to discuss the 鈥渞efined intake form鈥� for Akap.
This was in compliance with the President鈥檚 call for new guidelines for the 鈥渃onditional implementation鈥� of Akap and to heed his line-item veto message on Akap.
One of the agreed salient provisions in the guidelines was maintaining a ceiling on the number of household members who can avail of the program to 鈥渕inimize instances of duplication of aid,鈥� said Gatchalian.
The guidelines will also put 鈥渃onsequences鈥� to fraudulent activities, such as forging documents and beneficiary lists, although he did not specify.
Both Laguesma and Balisacan agreed to the proposed guidelines, believing this would 鈥渉elp pacify pertinent public concern鈥� amid initial backlash to the program, he added.
Gatchalian also explained that the program 鈥渋ntends to address the significant strain of inflation to the financial capacity of those who earn less than the minimum wage,鈥� although critics pointed out how the cash assistance program could be prone to corruption.
鈥淚n case of the social welfare in take, [the refined intake form] will show us if our clients鈥� goods are affected by the effects of inflation,鈥� he said in a mix of Filipino and English in a statement.
鈥淎nybody can refer [a beneficiary to the program], but our social workers and the result of interviews and assessment will be followed at the end of the day,鈥� Gatchalian also said.
The new intake form will also determine if the beneficiaries in the program were 鈥渋ndeed affected鈥� by inflation, according to Gatchalian, while acknowledging that state social workers have always 鈥減racticed prudence鈥� in screening individuals before letting them into the program.