On February 18, 2025, during its 74th anniversary at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) unveiled a new digital platform named the Harmonized Electronic License and Permit System (HELPS). This innovative system aims to revolutionize access to DSWD’s regulatory services by providing a virtual one-stop-shop for clients.
Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Irene Dumlao highlighted that HELPS, with its slogan ‘Do not fall in line, Go online’, is designed to make regulatory services accessible anytime and anywhere, as long as users have internet access. This initiative is in line with Republic Act 43734, which requires DSWD to certify the registration, licensing, and accreditation of various social welfare and development organizations.
The introduction of HELPS is expected to significantly reduce the time and effort required for these processes. Previously, manual applications could take three to six months, involving numerous in-person visits to DSWD offices. Now, through the HELPS portal, clients can complete their registration and application for regulatory licenses and accreditations in just 20 minutes, with certificates issued within 14 days.
Dumlao emphasized that the digital system will streamline the processing time from 43 days to just 14 days in total, with registration and licensing taking seven days each. The number of steps required from clients has been reduced from 49 to 12, and the necessary documents have been simplified from 50 to 11.
For organizations seeking permits to solicit or receive public contributions, HELPS will issue regular permits in seven days and temporary permits in three days, a significant improvement over the previous 20-day wait.
Additionally, HELPS is anticipated to encourage more individuals to apply for DSWD’s endorsement for duty-exempt importation certification, facilitating tax-free imports for non-government organizations upon approval from other government agencies.
Despite the shift to digital, Dumlao assured that face-to-face monitoring of organizations would continue to prevent any oversight in compliance and ethical management.