DSWD revises rules on emergency cash transfer for disaster victims

The Department of Social Welfare and Development has revised its guidelines on the implementation of the Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) program to make it more responsive to the needs of disaster victims.

DSWD Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Irene Dumlao of the Disaster Response Management Group said the new guidelines will make the ECT program more aligned to disaster response and early recovery efforts for internally displaced persons (IDPs).

“At the impact and immediate post impact phase of a disaster, the ECT may be provided to IDPs for their relief and early recovery needs. The cash assistance provided can be used to buy nutritious food, hygiene items, medicine, clothing, and other supplies which are not included in the relief packages provided by the DSWD,” she said in a statement on Thursday.

The ECT program is a disaster operations intervention which provides unconditional cash assistance to calamity-affected families that need aid.

At present, the DSWD has rolled out the ECT program for those affected by the Cebu and Davao Oriental earthquakes and Typhoon Opong in Masbate.

Under the revised guidelines, the ECT can run to 90 days after the disaster and may be used to help defray hospital expenses, transportation, educational support, and livelihood.

This is as long as the beneficiary family has not received any form of livelihood assistance from other government agencies.

Dumlao said the ECT may be also given as support during the crucial rehabilitation and recovery stage of disaster operations as indicated in the Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan (RRP).

“Ninety days after a disaster, the provision of ECT may be extended to form part of the rehabilitation and recovery efforts for IDPs. The cash assistance at this stage is usually to support livelihood recovery and other income generating activities of the disaster-affected families,” Dumlao said.

The revised guidelines also identified circumstances that would trigger the roll-out of the ECT program as a post-disaster intervention.

“Apart from establishing that ECT can be provided during various stages of the disaster operations, the revised guidelines also provide clearer trigger mechanisms,” Dumlao said.

Under the new guidelines, the ECT can be rolled out based on three important triggers, the first of which is the declaration of a state of calamity in a certain locality.

The declaration may come from the President, the provincial board or the municipal or city local government council.  

Dumlao said another trigger is the state of local markets in the affected area, based on the national, regional, or local disaster risk reduction management council situation report.

“This is important because we need to assess whether local markets in disaster affected areas are functional and able to supply goods and services to meet the needs of the families. This ensures that the cash assistance interventions are appropriate and will indeed be of help,” she said.

The third trigger relies on the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) report.

“The need for the ECT assistance must be included in the PDNA as the basis for determining the extent of damages, and in identifying the recovery needs,” Dumlao said.

The DSWD also laid out the coverage and classification of the ECT beneficiaries under the revised guidelines.

ECT beneficiaries include severely affected and slightly affected families by disaster and calamities such as typhoons, landslides, floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, armed conflict, health outbreaks, among others.

“When we say severely affected, this pertains to families with totally damaged houses, displaced families in evacuation centers for medium and long-term displacements, and families with significant loss in their income or livelihood source,” Dumlao said.

Slightly affected families are those whose houses were partially damaged and families staying in evacuation centers for a short period of time.

Dumlao said this category also includes those who suffered minimal loss of income or livelihood as well as those families with sick or injured family members as an effect of the disaster.

The provision of cash assistance also differs based on beneficiary category and is also subject to the assessment of the needs of the affected families.

“We assure the public that the DSWD’s ECT program is implemented in accordance with the needs of the target beneficiaries. Although we are dealing with consecutive disasters and their massive destructive effects, the DSWD affirms that the cash assistance will be given to the affected families to aid them in their early recovery and rehabilitation,” Dumlao said. — JMA, GMA Integrated News