The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 13 (Caraga) and the Surigao City government facilitated the payout of the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) for 767 low-income earners on Monday.

Each beneficiary received PHP3,000 in AKAP assistance during the distribution event, totaling PHP2,301,000.

Vice Mayor Alfonso Casurra and personnel from the City Social Welfare and Development Office were also present during the distribution activity.

“The beneficiaries are residents who work in the information sector and the formal economy in the city, most of whom are not beneficiaries of the other government aid program,” the Surigao City Public Information Office said in a statement on Monday.

The city government, under the administration of Mayor Pablo Yves Dumlao II, lauded the continued collaboration with the DSWD-13, which helped facilitate the release of AKAP aid to beneficiaries in the city, it added.

Jester, 36, a security guard and father of three, is grateful for his inclusion in the assistance program.

“This is the first time that I have received aid from the government through the AKAP. This program is a big help to my family, especially my children,” Jester said in the vernacular.

He mentioned that his priorities are rice, vitamins for the kids, and some groceries for the family.

The AKAP is a government initiative through the DSWD that provides one-time cash assistance to low-income minimum wage earners and near-poor individuals struggling with the rising cost of living due to inflation. (PNA)