Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27)— The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said there’s a huge improvement during the second weekend of the distribution of educational assistance for indigent students on Saturday.
“Sa atin pong assessment ngayon, malaki po ‘yung improvement compared doon sa naging payout natin last Saturday,” DSWD Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez told reporters. “Ganito rin po ‘yung ating assessment sa buong bansa.”
[Translation: Based on our assessment today, there is a huge improvement compared to our payout last Saturday. The same assessment goes for the rest of the country.]
The DSWD earlier tapped local government units to help in the payout process following reports of chaotic distribution during the program’s launch last week.
The rollout, however, still encountered a few challenges. The DSWD confirmed that the payout in Boac town in Marinduque was halted due to the rise in walk-in applicants.
“This involves avoiding potential disorders and adhering to safety and health protocols. The DSWD Central Office and our field offices reiterated that we discourage walk-ins in today’s payout to comply with safety and health protocols,” the agency said in a separate statement.
The DSWD noted that the incident was an “isolated case.”
