Quezon City: A month after launching the Kaagapay Donations Portal, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has already received PHP1.4 million from donors for the agency's disaster response operations and clients of DSWD-managed centers and residential care facilities (CRCFs).

According to Philippines News Agency, Assistant Secretary Maria Paz Rafael of the Partnerships Building and Resource Mobilization (PBRMO) shared at the Thursday Media Forum at the DSWD Central Office that donations have been received for DSWD as well as foundations, non-government organizations (NGOs), and non-profit corporations listed on the Kaagapay Donations Portal.

The Kaagapay Donations Portal is designed to provide donors with an efficient and convenient way to contribute to charitable groups or social welfare and development agencies (SWDAs), the agency's disaster relief operations, and CRCFs. Rafael described the portal as a system that fosters an environment of sharing and a space for giving, aiming to match or directly connect SWDAs, the DSWD, and local government units (LGUs) with prospective donors.

Through the portal, donors can select which organizations they wish to support, ensuring donations go directly to the intended recipients. Donors can also identify facilities or sectors they want to support and view regions in need along with their wish lists.

Rafael emphasized that both local and international donations are now being accepted through the portal. However, she clarified that the DSWD only accepts support for its disaster relief operations and CRCFs, which serve marginalized groups such as abandoned, neglected, and abused children, elderly individuals, persons with disabilities, women and families in difficult circumstances, and other disadvantaged sectors of society.