P397-M ‘duplicate’ payments found in DSWD ‘ayuda’ scheme
The Commission on Audit (COA) said it found P397.45 million worth of “duplicate, multiple and overlapping” payments to beneficiaries of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
In its 2025 annual audit report, the COA noted that some beneficiaries of the AICS program were granted multiple assistance that violated the allowable frequency of payments, while others were able to avail of similar benefits under both the AICS and Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (Akap).
‘Deficiencies in data integrity’
The COA said these issues were caused by “deficiencies in data integrity, beneficiary validation and assessment processes, deduplication measures, and accountability controls, thereby increasing the risk of improper payment of financial assistance.”
The multiple and overlapping payments were traced to the DSWD’s central office as well as its field offices in the National Capital Region (NCR), Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas and Davao region.
According to the report, there were P31.357 million worth of duplicate or multiple payments in the AICS program.
Of that amount, P18.158 million were from the DSWD field office in Cagayan Valley, which was due to “duplicate and multiple payments” to 5,560 AICS beneficiaries as well as “overpayments” of assistance to 393,544 beneficiaries.
The COA also flagged overlapping claims of AICS and Akap benefits involving P366.096 million worth of payments.
Multiple assistance
In the DSWD’s NCR office alone, the state auditor noted that there were 46,633 people who received financial assistance from both programs within the same three-month period, with disbursements amounting to P337.968 million.
According to the COA, such deficiencies allow beneficiaries to “receive duplicate or inappropriate aid within a limited period, compromising fair resources distribution, reducing operational efficiency and accountability, and heightening the risk of unnoticed duplicate disbursements.”
As part of its recommendations, the state auditor urged the agency to ensure the “diligent” screening, validation, and assessment of its beneficiaries, while also monitoring those who avail of multiple benefits.
Asked to comment on the report, DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao clarified in a Viber message to the Inquirer that beneficiaries may avail of multiple assistance or receive payments from both AICS and Akap “as long as they cover distinct needs.”
She noted, for example, that a beneficiary may receive medical assistance under AICS combined with food assistance from Akap. Should his or her family member pass away, the beneficiary may even qualify for burial assistance.
“DSWD clarifies that no government funds were wasted and that the observations raised by COA stem primarily from a difference in the interpretation of program guidelines, as well as administrative encoding variations during emergency aid distributions,” Dumlao said.
