MANILA: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Thursday assured that it is ready to help fisherfolk affected by the oil spill in Limay, Bataan. The assurance was made by Program Management Bureau (PMB) Assistant Director Edwin Morata during the Thursday Media Forum at the DSWD Central Office in Quezon City. Morata said the DSWD has a menu of programs and services that are readily available for the affected fisherfolk and their families under the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita (AKAP) Program, subject to initial assessment and validation by social workers. 'There's a need for assessment and validation to look into kung ano pa ang pwedeng maibigay maliban po doon sa pang-araw-araw po na pagtugon sa pangangailangan nila (additional aid that could be extended to them besides their daily needs),' he said. Morata said the AKAP Program is designed to provide a safety net to minimum wage earners to prevent them from falling further below the poverty line. He said under AKAP, each affected fisherfolk may receive outright cash assistance of up to PHP10,000, depending on the assessment of the social workers. Morata said after the assessment, the assistance would be directly distributed to the qualified beneficiaries through a one-day payout, with social workers ready to work till night until all have been catered to. He said recipients may also avail of other assistance provided under AKAP, such as medical or even burial assistance if someone in their family perished during the disaster. "Hindi po tayo one line of provision lang (We are not just a one-line-of-provision agency). As much as possible, we want to consider everything na mayroong pangangailangan ang isang indibidwal (an individual needs),' Morata said. He added that local government units could request food boxes. Under the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., an inter-agency task force was created to quickly address the effects of the oil spill from the M/T Terra Nova, which sank off the coast of Limay, Bataan on July 25. The ta sk force will be led by the Office of the Civil Defense with the Philippine Coast Guard and the departments of environment, interior, health, labor, and social welfare as members. Source: Philippines News agency