DSWD Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP)

To address the painstaking rising inflation, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is tasked to implement and provide financial assistance to minimum wage earners in the Philippines under the low-income category both from formal and non-formal sector through the agency's Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP).

What is Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP)?

The DSWD AKAP is a financial assistance program by the Philippine government, implemented through the DSWD. It targets minimum wage earners and other low-income individuals who are vulnerable to economic shocks, such as inflation, illness, or loss of livelihood. These workers often fall just above the poverty line but are still at high risk of falling back into poverty due to unforeseen events.

The program, funded through the General Appropriations Act of 2024, which offers several types of assistance, including cash relief, food, medical, and funeral support. The amounts vary based on the type of need, with cash relief assistance ranging from PHP 1,000 to PHP 10,000. Beneficiaries can apply either through DSWD offices or in partnership with local government units (LGUs).

AKAP primarily aids those not already covered by other major DSWD programs, such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) or the Indigent Senior Citizens Pension Program. The application process involves proving minimum wage employment through documents like contracts or income statements.

To further understand some terms under the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program, we have defined them below:

• formal economy- refers to a range of economic activities including businesses in different sectors operated within the legal framework, and an organized system of employment where workers are covered by employee-employer relationship.
• informal economy - refers to the diverse range of economic activities not covered by formal labor arrangements including self-earning individuals, small-scale distributor of goods and services, or workers without labor compared to those in the formal sector.
• low-income earners- all individuals whose income from activities, either in the formal or informal sector, is insufficient to cover living expenses or basic needs including those with unstable incomes; residents in rural a engaged in agriculture or informal sectors, who are susceptible economic shocks and disasters.
• minimum wage earners- all workers in the private sector paid the statutory minimum wage, or to an employee in the public sector with compensation income of not more than the statutory minimum wage in the non-agricultural sector where he/she is assigned.

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The Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program shall be availed by minimum wage earners or low-income earners, including those who are engaged in the following sectors or industries:

a. Non-Agriculture

• manufacturing;
• industrial; and
• private organizations whether for profit or not.

b. Agriculture (Plantation and Non-Plantation), Forestry and Fishing

c. Service/ Retail Establishments

• transport and storage;
• utility workers; and
• wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles.

d. Domestic Workers (Live-in or live-out arrangements)

• general househelp;
• housekeeper/ househelper, nanny or kasambahay;
• cook;
• gardener;
• laundry person; and
• any person who regularly performs domestic work in one household on an occupational basis.

Read: How to get Medical or Social Assistance from the Senate of the Philippines

The AKAP financial assistance may also be availed by individuals who are engaged in the informal economy or economic activities operating outside the formal and regulated systems including:

a. the informal sector: this includes, among others, street hawkers, market vendors, pedicab and tricycle drivers, independent repair/construction workers, waste /garbage collectors, home-based industries and services, and others;

b. self-earning individuals: those who independently provide services or sell goods as a means of livelihood without being engaged in an employer-employee relationship such as but not limited to:

• service provider such as flower arrangers, laborers, barbers, beauticians, photographers, and the like;
• sari-sari store owner; and
• public utility vehicle drivers and conductors.

Read: How to get Medical or Social Assistance from the Senate of the Philippines

How will the AKAP be Released?

The AKAP financial assistance shall be granted to qualified beneficiaries via the following outlets:

• directly from the DSWD through the Crisis Intervention UniV/Sections (CIU/S) at the Central Office and Field Offices (FO). respectively, and Social Welfare and Development Satellite Offices (SWAD Office) nationwide; or
• through DSWD partners like the Local Government Units (LGUS).

What Assistance can be Availed under AKAP?

There are several assistance that may be availed by grantees under the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program, which include the following:

• food assistance- outright cash assistance for food and other nutritional requirements for sustenance;
• medical assistance- outright cash or GL for hospitalization expenses and professional fees, cost of medicines, and other medical treatment or procedures, including implants, common laboratory tests, and diagnostic imaging for any illness or condition, as well as postpartum complications;
• funeral assistance- outright cash or GL for funeral and other related expenses including, but not limited to, transporting the deceased individual's remains to their residence or hometown, interment, cremation, and/or burial site, adhering to the customary practices of the family, particularly among Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and Moros; and
• cash relief assistance- outright cash assistance for qualified beneficiaries for reasons other than for food, medical, or funeral expenses, which upon the assessment of the DSWD social worker, may appear to be directly related to the effects of high inflation (ie., difficulty in paying for house rental, electricity and water expenses, school expenses of their wards or children, purchasing other important needs while recovering from devastation and shocks brought by disaster or disaster-related events, etc.).

Read: DMW financial assistance to distressed OFWs and their families

Documentary Requirements for AKAP

Actually, there are several documents that must be prepared by applicants of Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program, including documents that are needed to establish identity, supporting documents to establish being a minimum wage earner or low-income earner, and other specific supporting documents. Detailed list of these documents may be viewed at the official memorandum released by the DSWD.

How to Avail AKAP?

If you're in need and want to take advantage of this Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program by the DSWD, you may visit the memorandum published by the DSWD on August which also contain the complete implementing rules and regulations regarding the assistance.

Source: DSWD

Disclaimer: All of our articles are for informational purposes only. We are not directly related to the entity/ies being featured. The source/s are indicated at the end of every article so you can further check the legitimacy of our post.

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