THE RIGHT MOVE My parents always told me that the best inheritance they can leave their children is education because no matter one’s state of wealth, or life, it may change unexpectedly. And education is one of life’s building blocks that nobody can take away from you. With the big number of people in the Philippines living below the poverty line, education has also been viewed as a means for families to rise from poverty. At least, that is the ideal. The millions of Filipino families who dream of this “ideal” were represented at the long queues at the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), each hoping to get at least ₱1,000 financial aid from the Educational Assistance Payout to Students-In-Crisis program of the DSWD, whose distribution began two weeks ago. The first day was short of pandemonium in most parts of the country with the unexpected throngs of parents arriving at the payout centers, with many not able to make it to the finish line. As per educational Memorandum Circular No. 2019-11, beneficiaries for educational aid could include: 1. Victims of displacement or abuse; 2. Breadwinners; 3. Children of overseas Filipinos; 4. Children of unemployed parents; 5. Those who are in crisis brought about by human induced or natural calamities. But as the DSWD is under the leadership of veteran journalist Secretary Erwin Tulfo, whose decades in the field immersed him in the very core of communities nationwide, the list of indigents considered as beneficiaries of the educational ayuda has been extended to include the following: Children of solo parents; working students; PWDs; children of rebel returnees or of persons deprived of liberty; children of people living with HIV. Taking the experience from the first day payout in stride to make this commendable program of the DSWD smooth sailing in the succeeding weeks, Sec. Tulfo said that it was “a lesson which we learned well, and an eye-opener to the extent of the need of the Filipinos for aid affected by the pandemic and the inflation.” True enough, the second Saturday of implementation was a far cry from the initial payout, which handed out cash aid to a total of 42,589 beneficiaries nationwide in a very orderly manner. DSWD hopes that with the cash assistance, indigent students will have an additional budget for their school supplies, allowances and other fees. To eliminate confusion, here are the guidelines to avail of the educational ayuda: 1. Go to the DSWD website and register your children’s names. A maximum of three students per family can be registered. 2. Wait for the text confirmation from the DSWD with the date and venue of payout. Assistant Secretaries Romel Lopez and Irene Dumlao have asked the public not to waste their time and money for fares to go to payout centers until they have received a text confirmation because walk-in’s are strictly prohibited to best facilitate the distribution of assistance. Each region has its own code or link where they can register via Facebook. Field Office I – facebook.com/dswdfo1 Field Office II – facebook.com/DSWDDos Field Office III – facebook.com/dswdfo3 Field Office IV-A – facebook.com/dswdfo4a Field Office IV-B – facebook.com/dswdfomimaropa Field Office V – facebook.com/dswdfo5 Field Office VI – facebook.com/dswd06 Field Office VII – facebook.com/dswdfo7 Field Office VIII – facebook.com/dswdeasternvisayas Field Office IX – facebook.com/dswdfo9 Field Office X – facebook.com/dswdfo10 Field Office XI – facebook.com/dswdfo11 Field Office XII – facebook.com/people/DSWD-XII/100069260497757/ Field Office NCR – facebook.com/dswdfoncr Field Office CAR – facebook.com/dswdfocar Field Office CARAGA – facebook.com/dswdcaraga 3. Prepare the documents before you go to the payout center which can be one of the following: Certificate of enrolment or registration with the school ID of the child or any statement of account or document that may be provided by the school to prove that a child is enrolled. 4. Upon arrival at the payout center, you will be asked for the official text confirmation that you are scheduled for that day. Note that there is a CRIMS or crisis intervention monitoring system and the text messages that are received cannot be replicated. 5. You will then be led to the assessment tables. Expect to queue as social workers will assess applicants to determine who really need financial assistance. Remember that our social workers are skilled and trained to identify students-in crisis, and address the needs and abilities of families. 6. If you pass the assessment of social workers, the next step will be easy: ₱1,000 for elementary, ₱2,000 for high school, ₱3,000 for senior high and ₱4,000 for college students. The DSWD program, expected to help 375,000 to 400,000 indigent students, will be available until Sept. 24. Those in remote areas do not have to worry about internet connection or having smartphones to register because DSWD field offices have been delegated to come up with their own systems to deliver the educational ayuda. As Sec. Tulfo says: “Every Filipino life is important” – a statement that gives hope. And sometimes, hope is the one that’s left to allow a person to dream an oftentimes unattainable ideal.