ILOILO City – What began as isolated complaints in Iloilo City has now unraveled into what the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) suspects as a region-wide, orchestrated, and systematic scheme of illegally deducting cash aid from beneficiaries of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program — prompting an aggressive multi-agency probe and imminent criminal charges against implicated barangay officials.
Assistant Secretary for Regional Operations Paul Ledesma made the disclosure on Friday, November 21, stressing that the pattern of abuse suggests a coordinated operation rather than sporadic misconduct.
“These people were already victims of disaster, and then they were victimized again,” Ledesma said during a press conference at the DSWD Field Office 6. “From the stories we gathered, it appears pre-planned, orchestrated, and systemic. It seems like there is someone controlling the operation. Secretary Rex Gatchalian has given a very clear instruction: the perpetrators must be charged.”
11 COMPLAINANTS READY TO FILE CASES
Ledesma said 11 beneficiaries from 16 barangays in Arevalo and Jaro districts here have submitted complete affidavits sufficient for filing criminal complaints.
“We already have 11 complainants who have provided full sworn statements that are ready for case filing,” he noted. “We will not wait for more complainants before filing. Once the documentation is complete, these 11 will be filed first. Once we begin filing cases, others will be more courageous to come forward.”
The Iloilo incident has also prompted similar reports from other provinces in Western Visayas, indicating that the scheme may be more widespread than initially believed.
MULTI-AGENCY PROBE UNDERWAY
A special order from Secretary Gatchalian has formed a fact-finding team composed of representatives from the DSWD, Office of the Ombudsman, and Department of Justice (DOJ). The team has 30 days to gather evidence, interview complainants, and prepare charges.
Based on sworn statements, barangay officials allegedly deducted ₱8,000 to ₱9,000 from the ₱10,000 AICS assistance, usually taken immediately after off-site payouts in the barangays.
SUSPENSION OF OFF-SITE PAYOUTS EYED
To prevent further exploitation, Ledesma said he will recommend halting off-site payouts in Iloilo City until the investigation is completed.
“I will recommend suspending all forms of off-site payouts in Iloilo City until this issue is resolved,” he said. “This is a preventive measure to avoid similar incidents while the fact-finding is ongoing.”
However, he assured that DSWD operations will continue.
“All programs and transactions in Iloilo City will proceed, but they will be conducted exclusively inside the DSWD office to ensure transparency and control,” he said.
DSWD: CLEAR PATTERN OF ABUSE
Calling the case a “deliberate abuse of authority,” Ledesma reiterated that the accounts show a consistent pattern.
“This looks orchestrated,” he said. “There is a clear pattern, and it appears the people involved know the process well. That is why it must be stopped immediately.”
He also urged victims to step forward without fear.
“Once they see that cases are already being filed, more victims will come forward,” he said. “We assure the complainants that their statements will be handled confidentially, and that they will be protected.”
As more beneficiaries across the region surface, the DSWD expects the investigation to widen beyond Iloilo City in the coming weeks./PN
