(Photo courtesy of Northern Luzon Command)
MANILA – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Thursday started distributing PHP1.1 billion worth of Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) assistance to the families affected by Super Typhoon Egay.
The ECT, an adaptive strategy in bridging the gaps between immediate disaster relief, humanitarian response, and early recovery support, is an outright cash aid of the government for disaster-affected families in areas under state of calamity.
DSWD Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications Romel Lopez said the ECT will help reduce the financial and administrative costs of the department in delivering various food and non-food items to the affected areas and population.
“The ECT program minimizes security risks for personnel and logistical demands since it utilizes financial service providers for the conduct of digital payouts,” said Lopez, also DSWD’s spokesperson.
From October to November 2023, the DSWD is set to extend ECT to a total of 178,396 qualified beneficiaries in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and Regions 1 (Ilocos), 2 (Cagayan Valley), 3 (Central Luzon) and Region 4-B (Mimaropa).
The beneficiaries will receive the cash assistance directly from authorized Special Disbursing Officers (SDOs) of their respective DSWD Field Offices.
“As vice-chair for the National Disaster Response, the DSWD assures the public that it will uphold the integrity of the ECT process to ensure the efficient and effective delivery of services and programs to disaster-stricken families,” Lopez said. (PNA)
