‘Ayuda’ distribution from gov’t agencies via mobile apps pushed

(Mehdi Lamaaffar/ Unsplash)

Taguig-Pateros 1st district Representative and former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano made this pitch Friday, April 29, saying that Filipinos can gain easier access to agencies’ financial aid programs amid surging inflation through these apps.

“Dapat may app na rin yan, may DSWD app, may DOH app, merong Transport Help app, na kapag kumpleto naman ang requirements mo, i-send mo lang and then through GCash or through a QR code sa phone mo e matatanggap mo na e,” senatorial candidate Cayetano said in a media interview on April 29, 2022.

“Why do we have to make it difficult for people to get help eh pera naman nila yan (that’s their money anyway),” he said, referring to the public funds.

Cayetano, who has been near the top in senatorial surveys, bared that the government has billions of pesos in funds ready for distribution to vulnerable sectors through the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Department of Transportation (DOTr) as part of the P5-trillion national budget for 2022.

But he said the much-needed assistance gets delayed by government red tape, fixers positioned in frontline government agencies, and local politicians who act as mediators between national financial aid programs and their respective constituencies.

“Kung wala ka ngang padrino or walang pulitiko na mag-aayos, hindi mo makukuha eh (If you don’t know somebody in power or a politician who will help up, you won’t receive your aid),” Cayetano lamented.

According to the lawmaker, the government’s current situation is a reversal of its previous experiences when a lack of funds rendered it incapable of providing aid to vulnerable segments of the population.

“Ngayon (Now) it’s the reverse. Nandyan y’ung pera, pero medyo tedious, medyo mahirap y’ung proseso (The money is there, but it’s somewhat tedious. The process is difficult). That’s one thing I really want to work on, paano padadaliin ito (how to hasten the process),” he added.

The ex-Speaker said one way to do this is to leverage technology by developing mobile apps that people can use to process government transactions and receive financial aid through e-money services like GCash or PayMaya.

“With the digital age and with the cellphone, dapat (it should be the case that) you could do almost everything when it comes to government transactions sa cellphone mo (usingn your phone),” he said.