CARAGA REGION

Legal: Review Inputs

Page | 1 No. LRI-001
Series of 2021

FOR : JESSIE CATHERINE B. ARANAS

Division Chief
Protective Services Division

FROM : THE LEGAL UNIT

SUBJECT : Proposed Internal Control Measures in the Implementation of

the Social Pension (SocPen) Program

DATE : 01 January 2021

Upon deliberate review and deliberation with SPPMO of the referred

proposed internal control measures for SocPen, the following are recommended:

1. To consider the following items/ parts to comprise the form of the RSO on
this matter:

I. Rationale
II. Objectives
III. Scope and Coverage
IV. General Policies
V. Accountability
VI. Effectivity and Separability

2. Amend, amend last paragraph under Item I, Rationale, to state:

“Xxx, hence this measures.”

3. Recommended provisions under Scope and Coverage:

2.1 This internal control measures covers only administrative and

operations concern of Social Pension Program Implementation in DSWD
FO Caraga;

2.2 Exacts compliance and accountability to all personnel performing

functions pertinent to program implementation;

4. It appears that the following processes/ procedures espoused in the

proposed measure are already substantially addressed by MC No. 04,
series of 2019 or the “Omnibus Guidelines in the Implementation of the
Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens”, hence, must be excluded to
avoid redundancy:

2.1 Item II. A. par (bullet) 1, EXCLUDE; refer Item VIII, B (3). Potential
beneficiaries should be understood to mean, those in the waitlist, referred,
or walk-in/ on-demand applicants.

DSWD Field Office Caraga, R. Palma Street, Butuan City, Philippines 8600
e-mail: focrg@dswd.gov.ph Tel. Nos. : (085) 342-5619 to 20 Telefax : (085) 815-9173
Website: http://www.caraga.dswd.gov.ph
 2.2 Item II. A. par (bullet) 2, EXCLUDE; refer Item VIII, B (3).
2.3 Item II. A. par (bullet) 3, EXCLUDE; refer Item VIII, B (3).
2.3 Item II. A. par (bullet) 4, EXCLUDE; Memorandum dated June 13,
2019 shall be enough.

Page | 2 5. Recommended provisions under General Policies:

4.1 Assessment and Validation of Potential Beneficiaries

a) New referrals, waitlisted, or walk-in/ on-demand applicants

identified and/or claim as potential beneficiary shall undergo the
same assessment and validation process as stipulated in Item
VIII (B) of MC No. 04, series of 2019.

4.2 Payroll Preparation

a) No application shall be processed for payroll unless the

mandatory requirements stipulated in MC No. 04, series of 2019
are complied with and submitted to the Payroll Officer.

4.3 Notification of the Social Pension Applicants

a) In addition to the prescribed notification process under Item II. C

(1) of MC No. 04, series of 2019, the DSWD FO shall notify in
writing the Local Government Unit (LGU) concerned, of the
approved and disapproved applications.

b) The content of the written notification for the disapproved

applications shall follow the prescribed format pursuant to RA
11032 or the “Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government
Service Delivery Act of 2018”.

Prescribed content of the Written Notice under Sec. 9 (c) of RA

11032:

b.1 State the name of the person making the denial; and,
b.2 State the grounds upon which such denial is based;

4.4 Pre, During, and Post-payout Activities

4.4.1 Pre-payout

a) The SPPMO shall notify the LGU in writing on the schedule of

regular and special pay-out at least one (1) week prior to the
schedule for proper information dissemination to eligible
beneficiaries.

b) All pay-out activities in a City/ Municipality shall be done only

when there is at least one (1) Special Disbursing Officer or a
designated regular or contractual-regular employee who goes
with the paymasters, except when otherwise ordered by the
Regional Director during special and/or urgent situations.

DSWD Field Office Caraga, R. Palma Street, Butuan City, Philippines 8600
e-mail: focrg@dswd.gov.ph Tel. Nos. : (085) 342-5619 to 20 Telefax : (085) 815-9173
Website: http://www.caraga.dswd.gov.ph
 4.4.2 During payout

a) Pay-out activities shall be done in the venue specified by the

LGU.

b) In all regular and special pay-out, the assigned paymasters shall

Page | 3 indicate their respective CODE, counter-signature, and the pay-
out date in the payroll.

c) Whether regular or special pay-out, the help desk (preferably

SPPMO staff) shall ensure all necessary information is reflected
in the payroll.

d) Paymasters shall ensure that the last page of the payroll is

signed by the local officials (BLGU/ MLGU) or its representative
to attest to the honest and lawful conduct of the payout in their
presence.

e) Paymasters shall ensure that the total amount of the actual

claimed and unclaimed pension vis a vis the number of
beneficiaries during the payout is duly reflected on the page
where the local officials shall sign.

f) During special payout, photo documentation shall be required

where the beneficiary holds the amount of money received while
holding a board/ paper where his/ her name and signature is
written.

4.4.3 Post-payout

a) A designated administrative staff per province must double

check the returned payroll. In case the payout finished late in
the evening, the checking of the documents may be done on the
following day.

g) A fiduciary review shall be conducted at least one (1) week prior

to the submission of liquidation report to the Commission on
Audit (COA), or as may deem necessary by the SPPMO.

4.5 Replacement of Social Pension Beneficiaries

a) In cases where an eligible beneficiary is absent during the pay-

out, the DSWD FO shall commence conduct of at least two (2)
special payouts and/or two (2) home visits within the semester
in consonance with the payment or delisting/ replacement
process shall follow the provision under Item VIII, F, par (6) of
MC No. 4, series of 2019.

b) The age requirement of 60 years old shall strictly be followed in

all replacement concerns with due regard of the other “Factors
for Consideration” pursuant to a Memorandum dated 03
October 2019, titled, “Replacement of Delisted Beneficiaries and
Acceptance of New Beneficiaries for 2019”.

c) When upon assessment an identified beneficiary reaches the

age of 60 within a particular semester, he/ she can only receive
P3,000.00 representing the pension for the following semester.

DSWD Field Office Caraga, R. Palma Street, Butuan City, Philippines 8600
e-mail: focrg@dswd.gov.ph Tel. Nos. : (085) 342-5619 to 20 Telefax : (085) 815-9173
Website: http://www.caraga.dswd.gov.ph
 4.6 Revalidation of delisted beneficiaries determined
to be financially stable

a) Active beneficiaries delisted for having been determined as

“financially stable” shall be subject for revalidation six (6)
Page | 4 months from his/ her delisting.

4.7 Request for RITO and Deviation of Purpose

a) Request for Issuance of Travel Order (RITO) shall be done at

least 3 working days before the scheduled payout.

b) Only those with duly approved RITO shall be allowed to

participate in the payout activities.

c) RITO must properly indicate the purpose of travel among other

details relevant thereto.

d) In cases where there is deviation from the purpose indicated in

the RITO versus the actual activity, a justification pertinent
thereto shall be submitted.

e) The SPPMO shall monitor cancelled Travel Orders (TOs) and

shall refer to it in the review of Travel Expense Voucher (TEV).

4.8 Retrieving and Returning of Payroll and Money to Cash Section

a) The SPPMO in close coordination with the Cash Section and in

due regard to the “Locker System” initiative of the Cash Section,
shall maintain a log or record (electronic/ logbook) intended
solely for the purpose of retrieval and return of payroll and
money for payout and liquidation purposes.

b) The Cash Section shall designate a point person or officer-of-

the-day who will be in-charge of the locker system.

c) No paymaster nor any employee shall be allowed to give and/or

retrieve payroll and cash except for the designated point person
or officer-of-day.

d) The person/s who is/are going to get the payroll/cash must sign
in a LOGBOOK indicating therein the following:

d.1 Payroll particulars (Municipality/City; 1st or 2nd

Semester; Regular or Special)
d.2 Date and time
d.3. Amount of cash

e) Both the designated person or officer-of-the-day and the

paymaster involved in the retrieval and returning of payroll and
money shall indicate in the log their names and signature in the
presence of each other.
f) In a like manner, the one/s returning a payroll and cash must
also sign the logbook in the presence of the point person or
his/her representative.

DSWD Field Office Caraga, R. Palma Street, Butuan City, Philippines 8600
e-mail: focrg@dswd.gov.ph Tel. Nos. : (085) 342-5619 to 20 Telefax : (085) 815-9173
Website: http://www.caraga.dswd.gov.ph
 6. Recommended proviso for Accountability:

“Any DSWD employee, regardless of employment status, who performs or

cause the performance of any act or omission that violates the expressed
provision of this RSO shall be subject to disciplinary action without
prejudice to filing of administrative, civil, or criminal case/s when facts and
Page | 5 circumstances so warrant.”

7. Recommended provisions for Effectivity and Separability:

7.1 Interpretation. This Regional Special Order (RSO) shall be suppletory

in character to existing orders and circulars. Its implementation must be
appreciated in conjunction with MC 4, series of 2019, or the “Omnibus
Guidelines in the Implementation of the Social Pension for Indigent Senior
Citizens,” and other issuances pertinent thereto.

7.2 Separability. If any provision of this RSO shall be declared invalid by

competent authority or found inconsistent with existing DSWD
Administrative Orders and/ or Memorandum Circulars, the other provisions
not otherwise affected shall remain in full force and effect.

7.3 Repealing Clause. All existing SPPMO directives incompatible or

inconsistent with this RSO are hereby deemed amended or repealed
accordingly.

7.4 Effectivity. This RSO shall take effect immediately upon signing.

Issued this _______ of February 2021.

Provisions in the proposed Internal Control Measures not subject to inputs

are insofar determined to be in accordance with existing laws and issuances,
sufficient in form and substance.
May you find this helpful.

Thank you.

ATTY. GERAMER V. DURATO

Approved:

RAMEL F. JAMEN
OIC-Regional Director

DSWD Field Office Caraga, R. Palma Street, Butuan City, Philippines 8600
e-mail: focrg@dswd.gov.ph Tel. Nos. : (085) 342-5619 to 20 Telefax : (085) 815-9173
Website: http://www.caraga.dswd.gov.ph