A senior official of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Monday (March 24) the agency’s newly-launched Kaagapay Donations Portal seeks to provide the public with easier access to the list of legitimate charitable organizations across the country and prevent them from falling prey to public solicitation scams.

In an interview with radio station DZXL, Director Megan Therese Manahan of the DSWD’s Standards Bureau (SB) said the Kaagapay Donations Portal has a directory of legitimate, licensed charitable organizations and foundations which the agency aptly calls as ‘social welfare and development agencies’ (SWDAs).

The DSWD official said this directory may be used as a reference by the public or interested donors who seek to support social welfare causes and want to be fully-assured that their help goes to honest and legitimate organizations.

“Itong Kaagapay website is regulated by the DSWD, lahat ng SWDAs na may permit nandoon so… kunyare, the public pag pasko gustong mag donate to a cause very close to their heart, dito nila makikita yung mga inissue-han din namin ng public solicitation permit para ma-guarantee yung public na talagang tama yung napupuntahan noong mga dinonate nilang mga pera,” Director Manahan told DZXL.

Under Republic Act (RA) 43734, the DSWD serves as the regulatory body for SWDAs, mandating these groups to acquire a certificate of registration, license to operate, and accreditation (CRLA) from the DSWD.

A public solicitation permit must also be secured by SWDAs as they seek to solicit or receive contributions from the public for charitable purposes.

The application for these certifications and permits has been recently automated with the launch of
the Harmonized Electronic License and Permit System or HELPS, alongside the Kaagapay Donations Portal last February 18.

The SB director explained that the two systems are interconnected, as only SWDAs who have successfully acquired CRLA, and applied for public solicitation permits via HELPS will be automatically added to the Kaagapay Donations Portal.

“Ang nangyari ngayon is you get a solicitation permit through our HELPS, yung SWDA ilalagay rin namin sa Kaagapay website. Ibig sabihin, magsisilbi na rin itong one-stop shop na pwedeng gamitin ng public to check kung ano ba talaga yung legitimate na mga causes, ano ba legitimate na public
solicitation activities,” Director Manahan said.

As an extra measure against potential dishonest use of funds, the agency also does not allow SWDAs
to input bank information aside from their corporate bank accounts.

In an earlier forum, the SB director announced that roadshows will be held in the coming months with the DSWD’s partnership group to assist the SWDAs and non-government organizations (NGOs) in navigating the new automated systems and processes under the HELPS.(LSJ)