Photo Release

DSWD scam: Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III expresses concern over several scams using the name of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to victimize unsuspecting individuals. Pimentel said he received information that scammers are sending messages to individuals asking for money to include them in the list of the DSWD assistance program. “The clientele of the DSWD is the poorest of the poor and scammers are using fake programs and messages to extract money from them,” Pimentel said during the plenary deliberations on the proposed 2024 budget of the DSWD Thursday, November 16, 2023. Sen. Imee Marcos, sponsor of the agency’s 2024 budget, confirmed the existence of scams, saying the DSWD has been issuing announcements every single day to warn the public against illegal activities. (Joseph Vidal/Senate PRIB)