September 07, 2022
THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Central Visayas released P21.57 million worth of educational assistance to 7,665 beneficiaries in Central Visayas on Saturday, September 3, 2022.
Of the beneficiaries, 1,820 were elementary students; 1,390, high school; 853, senior high; and 3,603, college from 39 local government units in the region, said DSWD 7 Director Shalaine Marie Lucero.
She said the agency has so far released P41.87 million worth of cash assistance to a total of 15,483 beneficiaries since it first distributed the cash aid on August 20.
She said they have prepared P102 million for this purpose.
Initially, 59,000 registered to avail themselves of the agency’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations program, she said.
However, 13,000 were disqualified because their families were enrolled in the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) or they had scholarships.
Lucero reminded the public that scholars, 4Ps beneficiaries, as well as Cebu City residents who were former students of public schools who have transferred to private schools are exempt from the program.
Under the program, elementary students will get P1,000 each; high school students, P2,000; senior high, P3,000; and college or vocational students, P4,000.
Beneficiaries need to present a student certificate or study load, a valid identification card (ID) of the parent or guardian and a school ID (college and vocational students) to be able to claim the assistance.
She said the DSWD 7 will not entertain walk-in applicants, so those who wish to avail themselves of the aid have to register first online and wait for confirmation of their schedule of distribution.
Lucero said that those who failed to claim their assistance last Saturday can claim it this Saturday.
For a student to qualify for the program, he or she must either be a breadwinner, a working student, an orphan, a child of a single parent or unemployed parents, a child of an overseas Filipino worker, a victim of child abuse or calamity, or has parents who have human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
The next distributions will take place on September 10, 17 and 24. (PAC/PJB)