• THERESA MAE DULMAN
Fifty-two beneficiaries in Bacolod City became the first recipients of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) nationwide shift to digital payout cash disbursements.
The recipients received their P2,000 second-tranche financial assistance directly through their registered GCash e-wallets during the official pilot launch of the digital payout system at the Bacolod City Government Center Sept. 22.
The milestone followed an earlier batch of 2,245 Bacolod beneficiaries, who qualified for the first tranche of the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food and Transport (Uplift) program.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian led the launching, alongside Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya and Negros Occidental 5th District Rep. Emilio Bernardino Yulo.
“You will no longer need to fall in line. From now until December, you will be able to receive your assistance through GCash. My request to you is to share with others how easy it was for you to receive your financial assistance under the Uplift assistance program. You will now feel the relief, the convenience of this process. Just share your story with them,” Gatchalian told the recipients.
He said the initiative is part of DSWD’s ongoing efforts to make the delivery of social services simpler, faster, and more accessible.
With only 20 percent of beneficiaries currently having active GCash or ATM accounts, Gatchalian acknowledged that a full digital transition is not yet possible due to widespread preference for manual cash payouts.
He urged the initial digital recipients to encourage others to adopt the modernized system.
Gasataya said the digitalization partnership with GCash has raised the standard of public service delivery nationwide, adding the digital payout system ensures a faster, more transparent process that delivers program benefits directly to the people. | TMD
