MINERVA BC NEWMAN
CEBU CITY — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Regional Field office VII has partnered with the country’s financial technology (fintech) sector to cater to the beneficiaries of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) in Cebu City who do not have smartphones.
DSWD-7 regional information officer Leah Quintana said that to facilitate the easy disbursement of the SAP-second tranche DSWD partnered with the financial service providers (FSP) that included PayMaya, Starpay, RCBC and Unionbank.
Quintana said that PayMaya, a partner FSP has launched a new process that would allow a text or SMS to Smart Padala agents, allowing feature phones or non-smartphones to be used in claiming their emergency cash subsidy.
Quintana said that from August 20 onwards the SAP beneficiaries will receive a different SMS message on the scheduled date to receive their SAP to manage physical distancing and cash availability of the Smart Padala agent.
The sending of the SMS will be done in batches per day. DSWD and PayMaya will provide a list of beneficiaries per barangay for proper coordination and assistance from the barangay officials, she added.
Qintana went on that the beneficiary will have seven days from receipt of SMS to go to the Smart Padala agent to claim their cash subsidy. If within the time period they were not able to claim the SAP, the beneficiary can coordinate with the DSWD to ask PayMaya to do a rebroadcast of the SMS.
To claim the emergency cash subsidy, the beneficiary must show the SMS message to the Smart Padala agent and present valid ID or barangay certification and the SAC form.
For those beneficiaries who do not have mobile numbers; with mobile numbers but did not receive an SMS message and those who registered in the PayMaya app but failed to match in the PayMaya system, the DSWD will conduct the direct payment, Quintana said.
The other FSPs are also conducting their respective payouts with their cash-out partners such as M Lhuillier, Cebuana Lhuillier Pawnshop, Gemmary Pawnshop and USSC in various towns and cities in Cebu, Quintana bared.
