DSWD eyeing shift to digital payouts for PUV drivers’ cash aid

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is eyeing to shift to digital payouts for the second tranche of its Cash Relief Assistance (CRA) for public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers affected by the recent oil price surges.

In a post on X, Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the first round of payouts for PUV drivers was done manually to make sure that they verified and validated the beneficiaries as real people, since the lists were coming from outside the DSWD.

“It’s like the ‘know your customer’ phase of banks when opening bank accounts. For the succeeding rounds, we go digital payouts for PUV drivers who have e-wallets – TNVS, MC taxi, and delivery service drivers,” Gatchalian said.

The DSWD will convene a “Virtual Financial Service Providers (FSP) Summit” on Wednesday, April 8, as part of its efforts to shift toward digital disbursement for the second tranche of the CRA.

It welcomed all e-money issuers, mobile wallet operations and financial technology providers to participate in the virtual conference.

DSWD Assistant Secretary Johannes Paulus Acuña, the agency’s chief information officer, said shifting to digital systems will reduce administrative and operational costs and provide more accessible and convenient channels for driver-beneficiaries to access funds.

“Magbibigay-daan po ito sa mas accessible at efficient na financial payments, kung saan mas maraming benepisyaryo ang mabilis na masiserbisyuhan at mababawasan din ang mga administrative costs sa manual distribution,” Acuña said. 

(This will give way to more accessible and efficient financial payments, so that more beneficiaries can be aided faster and there will be less administrative costs.)

He assured that while digital disbursement is being explored, safeguards and verification mechanisms will remain in place to ensure that the cash aid reaches the rightful beneficiaries.

“Kasabay ng pag-aaral sa digital payouts, tinitiyak din po ng DSWD na mananatiling matatag ang ating verification at validation processes. Patuloy po nating sisiguruhin na ang tulong pinansyal ay napupunta po sa tamang mga benepisyaryo,” Acuña said.

(Along with studying digital payouts, the DSWD will ensure that our verification and validation process will be maintained. We will continue to make sure that the financial aid will be given to the right beneficiaries.)

The DSWD is now looking into accrediting FSPs that can support digital fund disbursement of cash aid, allowing real-time, account-based transfers to beneficiaries through e-money or mobile wallet platforms.

Interested digital financial service providers may access the DSWD virtual summit via the QR code posted at the official DSWD Facebook site @dswdserves. — JMA, GMA News