Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Director Megan Therese Manahan of the Standards Bureau (SB) provides updates on the newly-launched digital platforms of the agency, the Harmonized Electronic License and Permit System (HELPS) and the Kaagapay Donations Portal, during the Thursday Media Forum on February 27 at the Central Office’s New Press Center in Quezon City.

The HELPS serves as a virtual one-stop-shop for the agency’s regulatory services for social welfare and development agencies (SWDAs).

The Kaagapay Donations Portal, on the other hand, is an online platform for donors to send their cash donations either to the DSWD for disaster relief operations and/or for in-kind and cash donations to DSWD centers and residential care facilities (CRCFs). The portal also links donations to DSWD-registered and licensed SWDAs, as well as to local government units (LGUs) engaged in humanitarian response during times of disasters and emergencies.

Both online systems were launched last February 18 as part of the DSWD’s 74th anniversary celebration.

The Thursday Media Forum, which is held weekly, is hosted by Special Assistant to the Secretary (SAS) for Communications Raymond Robert Burgos and Director Dianne Joie Ruiz of the Digital Media Service (DMS). It is live streamed over the DSWD Facebook page.