Over 109-million-peso worth of financial assistance under the Abot Kamay Ang Pagtulong for OFWs (AKAP) remains unclaimed at remittance centers and DOLE’s regional offices, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
This means over 10,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have yet to approved PHP10,000 one-time financial assistance remitted by DOLE remittances overseas and in the Philippines.
The unclaimed fund, said DOLE, was part of more than PHP300 million worth of cash assistance left unclaimed by beneficiaries of various assistance programs launched by DOLE for workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
DOLE spokesman Rolly Francia many cases of the unclaimed fund were due to beneficiaries’ change in contact numbers, or beneficiaries who lost their phones.
“The reference code for claiming the benefits in remittance centers are sent through mobile number. The problem is many beneficiaries changed or lost their phones, he pointed out during a media briefing.
Meanwhile, he urged applicants to coordinate with their DOLE regional offices to claim their financial benefits as soon as possible to avoid forfeiture or expiration.
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