The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), through the Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG), with support from the World Bank (WB), will launch the Operations Manual (OM) for the implementation of the Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) During Disasters on April 18, 2022 at the Malasakit Building, DSWD Central Office.
The ECT is “an adaptive strategy in bridging the gaps between immediate disaster relief, humanitarian response, and early recovery support through the provision of unconditional cash to victims of disasters and emergency situations requiring interventions.”
The ECT program reduces the financial and administrative costs of the DSWD in delivering various food and non-food items to the affected areas and population. The program also minimizes security risks for personnel and logistical demands since it utilizes financial service providers for the conduct of digital payouts.
Likewise, the program complements existing disaster response support by empowering affected vulnerable families to decide on their own needs using available local resources, thus, supporting the early revival of local markets and acceleration to normalcy of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
As underscored in the DSWD Memorandum Circular No. 17, Series of 2019 or the Guidelines in the Implementation of the Emergency Cash Transfer During Disasters, the launch of the OM of the ECT Program is a key milestone of the Department’s continuing development of programs, projects and strategies to appropriately address the increasing and evolving needs of victims of disasters and calamities. The OM shall serve as guide to the implementers in managing the ECT implementation with the end in view of having its beneficiaries attain immediate normalcy.
The OM launch will be attended by DSWD Secretary Rolando Joselito D. Bautista, DRMG Undersecretary Felicismo C. Budiongan, Assistant Secretary Rodolfo M. Encabo, Executive Director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) Undersecretary Ricardo B. Jalad, Senior Economist Yoonyoung (Yoon) Cho of the World Bank (WB), Councilor Reginald M. Nang of San Juan, La Union, Mayor Roque S. Versoza Jr. of Tagudin, Ilocos Sur, Humanitarian Country Team – Cash Working Group (HCT-CWG), other United Nations agencies, donors and International organizations. As Vice-Chair for the National Disaster Response, the DSWD assured the public that it will uphold the integrity of the ECT process to guarantee the efficient and effective delivery of services and programs to disaster-stricken families.