The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) should not dissuade grass roots fund-raising activities by individuals seeking to help indigent members of their communities, saying these efforts help expand the coverage of the government-funded relief, said Senator Joel Villanueva.
Instead of threatening to run after people organizing fund-raising activities on social media, Villanueva suggested that the DSWD extend leniency and allow grass roots fund-raising drives to secure the necessary permits after the government has lifted the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon.
The gesture, which the veteran legislator said is in line with the spirit of the Bayanihan Law, will likewise help provide legal cover for these relief efforts which the lawmaker describes as rooted in the Filipinos’ “good-natured community fellowship.”
“Lahat po ng ating kababayan, nais tumulong sa kapwa natin na nagigipit dahil sa krisis na dala ng COVID-19. Hindi po natin maaalis ito sa ating kamalayan, kaya po hinihiling natin sa DSWD na kung maaari, tumulong gawing legal ang mga fund-raising efforts na ganito,” said the seasoned lawmaker.
“Imbis na takutin ang mga tao gamit ang batas, kalingahin na lang po natin ang mga nais tumulong sa pamamagitan ng pagbigay ng tamang payo sa proseso,” the senator added.
“Ngayong panahon ng krisis, mas nangangailangan tayo ng tulong at pinapakita ng bawat fund-raising drives na ito, na kadalasan ipinaaalam sa pamamagitan ng social media, na handa ang ating mga kababayan na mag-ambag sa kahit na anong halaga upang tumulong sa kapwa,” continued the chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment, and Human Resource Development.
Villanueva said he understood clearly what Presidential Decree No. 1564 or the Solicitation Permit Law, was trying to achieve, which is to regulate fund-raising activities and prevent criminals from defrauding others.
“The crisis brought by COVID-19 has made it harder for government to reach out quickly to the vulnerable, that’s why some people are helping out others in the most expedient way possible.”
But the COVID-19 crisis has made it harder for the government to reach out quickly to the vulnerable, that’s why some people are helping out others in the most expedient way possible, the lawmaker explained.
“We hope the DSWD considers helping these individuals or groups by providing legal cover to their fund-raising efforts, instead of discouraging future efforts to provide relief to those who need our help,” Villanueva appealed.
Among the requirements under the law’s implementing rules and regulations is the need to have the documents notarized. Since notary services are not readily available during this time, he said the DSWD could instead grant these individuals a 30-day grace period once the quarantine is lifted for them to submit all requirements.
He cited Section 4(ee) of the Bayanihan Law which authorizes “undertak[ing] such other measures reasonable and necessary to enable the President to carry out the declared national policy subject to the Bill of Rights and other constitutional guarantees.”
“The DSWD should launch a massive information drive on the Solicitation Permit Law.”
In the meantime, Villanueva also called on the DSWD to launch a massive information drive on the Solicitation Permit Law, establish an online filing system, streamline the application process and requirements, and expedite the approval process, instead of the average three-day turn-around time of DSWD.
In times of crisis, he noted, there is no time for delay, and bureaucratic processes should not hamper the Filipinos’ bayanihan spirit.