Manila: All donations processed over the Department of Social Welfare and Development's (DSWD) new online donation platform, the "Kaagapay" Donations Portal, go directly to the recipients and will not pass through the DSWD, an agency official said on Monday.
According to Philippines News Agency, Assistant Secretary Ana Maria Paz Rafael of the DSWD's Partnership Building and Resource Mobilization Office (PBRMO) explained that "Kaagapay" is designed to provide donors with a simpler and more convenient way to lodge their help and ensure that it reaches intended beneficiaries in the immediate time possible.
'Our private sector donors can easily process their donations through payment gateways such as Maya and GCash which have been integrated into the website for a more seamless experience,' Asst. Secretary Rafael said.
'From the very start, our intention was very clear - to make the donation process easier for every good Samaritan out there, and for people wanting to help with our Disaster Response Relief Operations, the Centers and Residential Care Facilities (CRCFs) that we are running, Social Welfare and Development Agencies (SWDAs), and a directory of Local Government Units (LGUs) engaged in humanitarian response whom we consider as partners,' she said.
SWDAs are private organizations, non-government organizations (NGOs), and civil society organizations (CSOs) that provide essential social welfare and development services to vulnerable sectors.
Rafael stated that through the Kaagapay portal, a dashboard will give a real-time overview of how much money has been raised and how many people have donated, keeping every transaction transparent for the scrutiny of the donors and the public.
'Under this feature, the public can easily access information on the work that they (SWDAs) do, a brief background on their history, and the sector they particularly aid with their services. We also hope to give a platform for non-mainstream foundations to make their donation channels more accessible to interested donors,' she said.
For donations under disaster response, the portal will only accept cash donations through digital transactions to prevent poor-quality perishable goods from being distributed to disaster-stricken areas.
In-kind donations, on the other hand, can be sent directly by the donors to their chosen DSWD-run CRCFs or SWDAs.
The portal will help link the donor to partner courier services of the agency from the logistics industry. The payment for the delivery will also be shouldered by the donor, which they can easily process with the digital transaction.
The Kaagapay Donations Portal is among the digital projects unveiled by the DSWD in celebration of its 74th anniversary from February 17-21 with the theme 'Bawat Pamilyang Pilipino ay Mahalaga sa Bagong Pilipinas.'
