MINERVA BC NEWMAN
CEBU CITY — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Field Office VII has released P41,414,000 as educational assistance to 15,383 students in Central Visayas during its third leg payout covering August 20, 27 and September 3, this year.
DSWD Field Office 7 OIC-Regional Director Shalaine Marie Lucero bared that of the total students served included 4,005 for elementary; 3,074 for high school; 1,955 for senior high school and some 8,349 for college and vocational students covering Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.
The educational assistance is given to students in crisis, for their school supplies, projects, allowance and other school fees. The release of AICS Educational Assistance is scheduled every Saturday from August 20 to September 24, 2022.
“Only those who received a text or email confirmation are accommodated in the payouts. Strictly no walk-ins. Online registration has been implemented for the field office to manage the influx of applications. Those who successfully registered will receive a text or email confirmation. However, they still have to go through the assessment process,” Lucero explained.
To help ensure the situation on the ground is organized and smoothly operating in every educational assistance payout venue, DSWD7 deployed management committee members and other unit heads as team leaders and district monitors all over Central Visayas, Lucero added.
For those who were not able to register, DSWD-7 will announce the date of the reopening of the link for online registration. Areas not covered on the specific date of payout, the schedules, and venues will be announced in the succeeding days prior to payout. Clients must ensure documents are complete and bring two photocopies of every requirement.
Grateful beneficiaries
“Ako sa ka solo parent. Mapasalamaton ako sa nadawat nga kantidad. Dako kining tabang alang sa akong mga estudyante. Makapamalit nako sa mga uniform sa akong duha ka mga anak. Daghang Salamat,” Lourses Sayre of Cangmantong, Lazi, Siquijor said. ((I am a solo parent. I am thankful for the amount I received because it could greatly help my students. I can buy my children’s uniforms.)
Hanna Jade Lopen of Totolan, Dauis, Bohol, expressed her gratitude to the government and DSWD. “Thank you so much. As a student, I will use this to buy school supplies.”
Elsie Dinoy, a mother of two students aged 11 and 8 from Cordova, Cebu shared her happiness to receive the educational assistance because she said she would use it for her children’s uniforms and school supplies, especially now that face-to-face classes have already started.
Grandmother Lorita Velasco of Siaton, Negros Oriental also thanked DSWD and mentioned that she would buy bags and notebooks for her grandchildren. “Kining akong nadawat nga 2,000 gikan sa DSWD, ako kining ipalit og bag ug notebook para sa akong apo, Daghang Salamat.”
Lucero further said that the full support from local government units and partner agencies especially in providing logistical and personnel support to ensure fast processing of assistance, health services in case of emergencies, and peace and order situations have translated into smooth and orderly payout events in the provinces in the region.
The management committee teams and district monitors have done their utmost best to oversee operations and processes to make sure the releasing processes were well-coordinated and they were available to respond and resolve issues or concerns that may be raised during the payout events, Lucero said.
