vvjl Comelec exempts AKAP, 27 programs from election spending ban

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections has allowed the government to continue implementing the Ayuda Sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) and 27 other welfare programs during this year's midterm election period as long as no candidate is present in the payout. 

In a memorandum issued Wednesday, January 8, the poll body granted the request of Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian to exempt these programs from the 45-day spending ban for the national and local elections in May.  

One of three conditions that the DSWD must comply with is for there to be "no candidate/politician during the distribution of ayuda (aid) in whatever nature or form," the Comelec wrote in the memorandum.

The two other conditions are for the DSWD to draft and strictly enforce guidelines to implement the projects. 

Maharani Gadaoni-Tosoc, PDEA regional director, said the destruction of the confiscated illegal drugs were disposed through thermal decomposition using the boiler facility of a canning company in Barangay Ayala.

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Sinolinding, a concurrent member of the 80-seat Bangsamoro regional parliament, has a separate office as health minister, located inside the 32-hectare regional capitol in Cotabato City, less than a kilometer away.

The country's election code prohibits agencies from releasing funds within 45 days of election day as a safeguard against the use of state resources for candidates' campaigns. But Comelec Resolution 11060 allows "social welfare and services projects and housing-related projects" to operate during the spending ban as long as agencies obtain a certificate of exemption from the poll body.

This year's spending ban is set for March 28 to May 11, 2025. 

The exemption covers P882.97 million for AKAP, which the DSWD describes as a "timely initiative" to assist near-poor Filipinos earning minimum wage who face economic difficulties.

Another major program exempted is the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), with an allocation of P38.4 billion. The program provides conditional cash transfers to poor households to improve their health, nutrition, and education. Others include the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation, Stamp Program/Walang Gutom Program and the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens.

The memorandum said the exemption is "prospective in application" and must not influence the conduct of the national and local elections and the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections. The DSWD is also required to submit periodic written reports of disbursements to the regional election director concerned.

Comelec Chairperson George Garcia on Wednesday vowed to enforce the conditions and pursue legal action against violators. 

"We are always free to file cases against anyone, especially candidates, who will be present or there during the distribution for possible disqualification and election offense cases," Garcia said in an interview at ANC's Headstart.

The complete list of 28 exempted programs is as follows:

Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) - P38 billion Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) - P511.4 million Services for Residential and Center-based Clients - P33.45 million peso99 login Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP) - P96.93 million Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens - P401.6 million Implementation of RA No. 10868 or Centenarians Act of 2016 - P15.17 million Protective Services for Individuals & Families in Especially Difficult Circumstances (COMBASED) - P29.4 million Protective Services for Individuals & Families in Especially Difficult Circumstances (PROPER) - P2.08 million Services to Displaced Persons (Deportees) - P4 million Recovery and Reintegration Program for Trafficked Persons - P628,200 Assistance to Persons with Disability & Senior Citizens - P380,580 National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction - P1.51 million KALAHI-CIDSS-KKB - P257.79 million Philippines Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Project (PMNP) - P44.35 million Bangsamoro Umpungan sa Nutrisyon (BangUn) - P123.26 million PAMANA Peace & Development - P47.3 million PAMANA DSWD/LGU Led Livelihood - P534.29 million Pag-Abot Program - P500.37 million Philippine Food Stamp Program/Walang Gutom Program (WGP) - P7.25 billion Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) - P882.97 million KALAHI-CIDSS-NCDDP Additional Financing - P564,633 Beneficiary First Project (BFIRST) - P238.70 million Trust Receipt - P395.65 million Tara Basa! Tutoring Program - P1.08 billion Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty - P4.64 million Social Technology Development and Enhancement - P32.50 million Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) - P7.58 billion Financial assistance routinely given to qualified individuals - P3.07 billion

— Cristina Chivvjl