Over P649M in educational aid distributed so far —DSWD

More than P649 million worth of educational assistance have been distributed to target beneficiaries so far, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Monday.

At a public briefing, DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez said that a total of 257,285 students have already received the cash aid.

“Natutuwa po ang DSWD na ibalita na nasa 257,285 na po na mag-aaral o beneficiaries ang naabot po ng ating programa. Kabuuan pong halaga na naipamahagi sa kanila ay nasa P649 million,” he said.

(The DSWD is glad to report that around 257,265 students or beneficiaries have already been reached by our program. The total of the distributed cash assistance is now at P649 million.)

Of the total beneficiaries who received cash assistance, 85,000 were college and vocational course students; 79,000 were elementary students; 56,000 were high school students; and 36,000 were senior high school students, Lopez added.

Lopez said the DSWD still has P900 million funds for the educational cash aid program. According to him, the P1.5 billion budget for the program can cover around 400,000 beneficiaries.

The DSWD has already received around 2 million applications for the educational assistance program.

Up to three students per indigent family can receive a cash aid worth P1,000 for elementary students, P2,000 for high school students, P3,000 for senior high school students, and P4,000 for tertiary students.

The financial assistance will be available in the DSWD central, regional, provincial, and other local offices starting August 24 and every Saturday until September 24, 2022.

Those who want to receive the cash assistance were advised to register online or email DSWD at ciu.co@dswd.gov.ph.

Applicants may also visit the DSWD website and social media accounts for more details.  —KBK, GMA News