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Over 2M cash aid applicants register with DSWD's ReliefAgad app


More than two million potential beneficiaries have registered for the Department of Social Welfare and Development's social amelioration program through its ReliefAgad application.

The DSWD said CALABARZON recorded the highest number of registrations with 1,094,332, followed by the National Capital Region with 789,719 and Central Luzon with 103,413 since it launched the application on May 14.

In a virtual press briefing, DSWD spokesperson Director Irene Dumlao said the department wanted to reach second tranche beneficiaries from the NCR, Region III, Region IV-A, Benguet Province, Pangasinan, Iloilo, Cebu, Bacolod City, Davao City, Albay and Zamboanga City.

To expedite the distribution of the social amelioration program subsidy, the DSWD urges all beneficiaries to use the ReliefAgad application.

DSWD ICT director Andrew Ambubuyog said the application would make the disbursement of SAP subsidies more efficient by allowing beneficiaries to self-register and interface with any electronic payment system for faster cash relief.

Ambubuyog also said ReliefAgad followed the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and went through various penetration tests to ensure that all registrants’ information will be protected and secured.

“Cinertify po ng mga eksperto sa Department of Information and Communications Technology, maging ang ating database, secured po siya sa gustong kumuha sa iligal na pamamaraan,” he said.

“Lahat po ng data natin ay protektado at tayo’y sumunod sa Data Privacy Act of 2012.”

Ambubuyog also clarified that registering through the application does not guarantee that one will receive the cash aid.

“Dadaan pa rin sa proseso, criteria, requirements... Isasaalang-alang pa rin ang validation process,” he said. “Lahat po ‘yan dadaan  sa proseso bago ma-approve ang ating aplikasiyon.”

He also clarified that ReliefAgad is just a registration application and does not have the ability to check if a beneficiary is qualified for the subsidy or not.

The DSWD and the DICT partnered with non-profit organization Developers Connect Philippines (DEVCON) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for the creation of “ReliefAgad.”

Around 18 million low-income households and those in the informal sector were targeted to receive monthly cash subsidies amounting to P5,000 to P8,000 for two months as mandated by the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act (Republic Act 11469).

Five million low-income families were added to the beneficiaries of the emergency subsidy program after President Rodrigo Duterte approved the recommendation of the government’s COVID-19 task force. -NB, GMA News