By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will distribute its educational assistance for students in crisis in seven venues in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental starting tomorrow.
The payout for the one-time assistance will be at the third floor of SM City North Wing for Bacolod City, San Carlos City for the 1st district, Philippine Normal University in Cadiz City for the 2nd district, Silay City for the 3rd district, Bago City for the 4th district, Himamaylan City for the 5th district, and Kabankalan City for the 6th district recipients.
Merle Garcia, provincial social welfare and development officer, said the decision to release the assistance outside Bacolod City was to avoid the influx of students and parents in the following weeks of scheduled distribution.
This comes after about 7,000 reportedly lined up outside the Ayala Malls Capitol Central in Bacolod City for the initial payout on August 20, with some started queuing as early as Friday night, August 19.
However, only 587 indigent students in Negros Occidental and highly-urbanized Bacolod City received cash assistance amounting to P2.203 million.
Chaos ensued after the local DSWD office announced that only 600 beneficiaries from Bacolod City and Negros Occidental will be accommodated on the first day of the cash payout.
The schedule for the next cash distribution is on August 27 and September 3, 10, 17, and 24.
A total of P20.7 million in educational assistance for students in crisis in Western Visayas was initially released to 5,144 beneficiaries.
The DSWD requires applicants to fill out an online form at https://bit.ly/dswdfo6EducAssistance, scan a QR code or send an email to dswd.educassistance@gmail.com.
“Only clients who will receive a message from DSWD will be prioritized in the payouts,” she said.
Those who were able to register for the QR code, but failed to receive a message from DWSD regional office, need not go to the payout site and should instead wait for their schedule, she added.
Garcia stressed that they will not entertain walk-in clients./DGB, WDJ