DSWD identifies 6 payment partners for SAP aid

FILE: The local government of General Trias, Cavite distributes PHP6,500 cash assistance under the Social Amelioration Program of the government to some 1,400 resident-beneficiaries of Barangay Santiago on Thursday (May 7, 2020). (PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan)

MANILA – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has partnered with six financial service providers (FSP) to distribute the government’s social amelioration program (SAP).

Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista said Tuesday that the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) came up with the list of service providers with the capacity to roll out financial assistance to SAP beneficiaries in the country.

“BSP made sure that the FSPs have (1) payout partners to ensure ease and ability to cash out, (2) business model institution, (3) experience in the commercial roll-out, and (4) type of cash-out points that may contribute to ensuring liquidity,” he said in Filipino.

DSWD signed a multilateral memorandum of agreement with the Land Bank of the Philippines and the FSPs: GCash, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC), Robinson’s Bank, PayMaya, and Starpay on June 30 for the second tranche of SAP.

Bautista also noted that they have since completed payout to 9,391 waitlisted families worth PHP52 million.

With most of these beneficiaries living in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA), Bautista cited the assistance of police and military in transportation and security.

RCBC’s ‘Diskartech Lite’

In a statement, RCBC Executive Vice President Lito Villanueva said they will utilize their disbursement platform “DiskarTech Lite”.

They are set to release approximately PHP4.6 billion in emergency cash subsidy to estimated 800,000 recipients from the provinces of Pangasinan, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Albay and Cebu as designated by the DSWD.

“RCBC has made sure that the DiskarTech Lite platform will be easily accessible to all the recipients. The process has especially been designed to be easy and safe for the benefit of the people and the government,” Villanueva said.

Qualified beneficiaries in localities covered by DiskarTech Lite shall receive text messages in their registered mobile numbers, providing them with a unique Beneficiary Reference Number (BRN) and informing them of the date and assigned payout partner branch or location, the bank official added.

DiskarTech Lite has partnered with Bayad Center, rural banks, cooperatives, pawnshops, lending center, microfinance institutions and other small to medium enterprises to bring the offsite payment of these government subsidies closer to the beneficiaries.

Recipients only need to bring their registered mobile phones and present their BRN along with an accomplished social amelioration card and valid ID, barangay certificate, or certificate of no valid ID to receive their grants.

As approved by DSWD, minimal cash out fee will be charged by all FSPs.