‘Iwas scam’: DSWD launches online platforms for charities, donations

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The Harmonized Electronic License and Permit System or HELPS and the Kaagapay Donations Portal are expected to help prevent people from being victimized by scammers who try to solicit donations

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) launched two online platforms meant to streamline the registration of charitable organizations and the acceptance of donations for humanitarian response.

The Harmonized Electronic License and Permit System (HELPS), accessible here, is for social welfare and development agencies (SWDAs) applying for “registration, licensing, accreditation, public solicitation, and duty-exempt importation of donated goods.”

The DSWD defines SWDAs as “nongovernment organizations that provide social services to vulnerable individuals or communities.” These organizations have to get a certification for registration, license to operate, and accreditation (CRLA) from the department.

The DSWD told media in a briefing on Thursday, February 27, that it has received 250 requests for verification and creation of accounts since HELPS was launched on February 18.

The new system offers faster processing of applications.

“For CRLA applications, the SWDAs are expected to receive their certification within seven days of processing for registration and license to operate and another seven days for accreditation if their application is assessed as compliant and complete. This is certainly an upgrade from our manual application that used to take 90 days to process,” DSWD Standards Bureau Director Megan Therese Manahan said.

A regular public solicitation permit will now take just seven days to be processed from the previous 20. Manahan said one organization, the Visions of Hope Foundation, was even able to get its permit in less than two days.

Platform for donations

Meanwhile, donations can be coursed through another new platform — the Kaagapay Donations Portal, available here. Registered SWDAs are listed on the platform.

“All donations processed over this platform go directly to the recipients and will not pass through the DSWD,” the department said in a separate press release.

To accept cash donations and be included in Kaagapay, SWDAs that have completed their HELPS registration also need public solicitation permits and corporate — not personal — bank accounts.

“We want accountability with regard to the receiving of donations…. When SWDAs receive cash donations, we require them to submit financial reports every year, and we instruct them that the donations should be reflected there,” Manahan said in a mix of English and Filipino.

The DSWD said there would be real-time tracking of the amount of money raised and the number of donors.

For in-kind donations, these can be sent to DSWD centers and residential care facilities or to SWDAs, still facilitated through Kaagapay.

“The portal will help link the donor to partner courier services of the agency from the logistics industry. The payment for the delivery will also be shouldered by the donor, which they can easily process with the digital transaction,” the DSWD said.

Manahan clarified that a public solicitation permit is not required for an SWDA to be able to accept in-kind donations.

Protection from scammers

HELPS and Kaagapay, in effect, would help prevent people from being victimized by scammers who try to solicit donations.

“Fully vetted siya, clean, monitored, regulated…. Iwas scam kasi gusto natin may one-stop shop na lang for donations in the sense na trusted na ‘yung portal na pupuntahan ng taong-bayan,” Manahan said.

(The system is fully vetted, clean, monitored, regulated. We’ll be able to avoid scams because we have a one-stop shop for donations in the sense that the public would have a trusted portal to visit.)

In the past, Manahan added, the DSWD would often receive messages from people verifying the legitimacy of groups seeking donations.

“Kung wala siya doon sa portal, medyo risky na ‘yun,” she said. (If the group is not in the portal, that would already be somewhat risky.) – Rappler.com