OVP: DSWD's Gatchalian claim on aid accommodation 'inaccurate'

The Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Tuesday refuted the claim of Secretary Rex Gatchalian that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has accommodated all its requests for assistance.

Norman Baloro, OVP director for operations, said that what Gatchalian revealed to a Senate panel on Monday was "inaccurate and misleading,” citing instances when the OVP referrals to DSWD were supposedly delayed or not acted upon.

READ: Statement of Office of the Vice President director for operations Norman Baloro, saying that the claim of DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian that the DSWD accommodated all requests for assistance from the OVP is “inaccurate and misleading.” @gmanews pic.twitter.com/273ongaQp0

— Giselle Ombay (@giselleombay_) October 15, 2024

"While such statements may paint a picture of seamless coordination between our two offices, the reality on the ground tells a different story. There had been several instances when OVP referrals were declined,” Baloro said.

The OVP official recalled that a request for assistance of a group of individuals whose livelihood was affected by the African Swine Fever was allegedly denied by the DSWD.

"The request was denied because the DSWD claimed that they cannot do 'mass payout,' and yet they are able to do it in other areas, together with other politicians," Baloro said.

"Moreover, there are clear evidence from various OVP Satellite Offices that some clients referred by the OVP have been left unattended by various Regional Offices of the DSWD,” he added.

According to him, the OVP Panay and Negros Islands satellite office has referred 7,056 applications for the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program and 2,597 applications for the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) to the DSWD office in Western Visayas, which remain pending up to now.

Baloro also said the OVP's satellite offices in Cebu, Bohol, and Siquijor have come up with a list of identified beneficiaries, but some of their clients claim that they haven't received any assistance from the DSWD.

"There is no clear explanation provided by the DSWD to the OVP referred clients from the Satellite Offices on the delay or inaction on the requests," Baloro said.

"To dismiss these unserved clients is to ignore the real challenges many Filipinos face in accessing social services," he added.

Baloro then called on DSWD to immediately address such issues to provide help to everyone in need.

During the Senate finance subcommittee's deliberation of the DSWD and its attached agencies' proposed P229.8 billion budget for 2025, Gatchalian said the DSWD has accommodated all referrals from the OVP.

Gatchalian made the statement after Vice President Sara Duterte said the agency has been politicizing the government's assistance programs.

For Gatchalian, their investigation showed that both the point persons of the DSWD and the OVP could not identify the instance which would prove Duterte's allegation.

The DSWD chief also mentioned a plaque of recognition that the OVP has given to the DSWD, which, he said, acknowledged them as a "valued partner." — VDV, GMA Integrated News