Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman will lead the awarding ceremony for partners and stakeholders on January 26, 2011 at DSWD, Batasan Hills, Quezon City.

DSWD partners and stakeholders will receive the PaNAta Awards or “Pagkilala sa Natatanging Kontribusyon sa Bayan” or PaNata Ko sa Bayan  which gives recognition to non-government organizations (NGOs), local government units (LGUs), People’s Organizations (POs), media persons and establishments, as well as individuals who have selflessly dedicated their time, energy and resources helping the Department to carry out its mandate of assisting the disadvantaged sectors of society.

“The recognition is made even more meaningful because DSWD has reached a milestone, 60 fruitful years of efficiently serving the less fortunate members of our society. Although we faced many challenges along the way, we hurdled our herculean task through the generous support of all our dear partners,” Secretary Soliman expounded.

The PaNata Awards include the Salamat Po Awards which recognizes our development partners, resource agencies and volunteers who assisted the Department in the delivery of services as well as recognition of NGOs with best practices.   These are our Best Donors, both international and local, Best Volunteer, and NGO.

This year’s Salamat Po awardees are:

International Partners/Donors category

•    United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) - Supported various projects namely: Enhancement of Service Manuals on the Supervised Neighborhood Play (SNP) and Child Minding, Standardizing Training Design Modules for Day Care Workers and Home Based Volunteers, and technical assistance  to the LGUs on the Utilization of Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Information System.

•    United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) - Created an enhanced enabling environment to promote and protect the rights of women and girls to advance gender equity and equality

•    United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – Supported community-based intervention for the prevention and management of persons living with HIV & their families

•    United Nations World Food Programme (UN-WFP) – Provided humanitarian assistance to families affected by conflict and disasters where large number of internally displaced persons were affected

•   Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) - Procured facilities and equipment  for training and improved the training curriculum of five programs, such as needle crafts, food processing and preservation, toy crafts, home aid services and loom weaving at 66 Productivity Skills and Capability Building (PSCB) Centers nationwide

•    Agencia Española de Cooperacion Internacional Para El Desarollo (AECID) - Implemented comprehensive intervention project to reduce vulnerabilities to gender-based violence among communities, women, adolescents and girls through increased access to quality response and reintegration services and participation in preventive actions

•    New Zealand Aid (NZAID) - Mainstreamed Project Hope and Expansion of Project Hope for Bajao Families, a Resettlement Village Project, which aims to minimize homelessness and mendicancy.

Local Donors category

•    SM Foundation, Inc. – Implemented outreach projects namely: Share Your Extras, Donate-A-Book, Gamot Para Sa Kapwa and Make A Child Happy. These projects aim to foster the value of generosity and sharing among SM Mall shoppers, tenants and concerned citizens through the donation of usable items for intended beneficiaries of DSWD centers, accredited NGOs, IPs, indigent families/communities affected by disaster

•    Kabisig ng Kalahi, Inc. – Implemented Supplemental Feeding program for malnourished children aged three to six.

•    Ronald McDonalds House Charities – Implemented the Bahay Bulilit
Day Care Center project for less fortunate children six years old and below by building day care centers in depressed barangays.

•   Jollibee Foundation, Inc. – Implemented  MaAga ang Pasko project and Supplemental  Feeding program to foster the spirit of giving and sharing among the children by inspiring them to donate their toys and children’s books to less fortunate children

•    Petron Foundation - Implemented Tulong Aral which provided educational assistance to elementary students from Grades I-VI and feeding program for Grades I and II. Malnourished children  in Grades III to VI were also included in the program

•    Tzu - Chi Foundation, Inc. – Implemented disaster relief and social services program and provided financial, material, educational support and scholarship, counseling, housing aid and spiritual cultivation, medical and dental mission, assistance to indigent/ homeless families.

•    US Peace Corps - Best Volunteer in the Organization category because of its Children, Youth and Families (CYF) project. US Peace Corps volunteers are deployed to centers and institutions managed by DSWD, NGO accredited centers and selected LGUs. They assist in formal and non-formal education as mentors and tutors, in computer literacy, sports development, and alternative livelihoods, as well as in enhancing the image and self-confidence of clients, working with parents and other community groups, and conducting staff training.

•    Hospicio De San Jose - Best Non-Government Organization

It is a registered, licensed and accredited NGO by the DSWD which has complied with the standards of the Department in the operation of its residential care facility particularly in program and case management for disadvantaged children, youth, families, and persons with special needs and older persons.

Special recognition will also be given to individuals and organizations which have supported DSWD’s programs and projects for many years resulting in the improvement of lives of beneficiaries of the Department.

They are Congresswoman Georgina de Venecia who initiated the establishment of Haven for Women, a center for abused and disadvantaged women and children as a project of the Congressional Spouses Foundation Incorporated, and the INA Healing Center; and Dr. Emilio Yap, Chairman of the Board, Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation for his solid support to the disaster relief operations and other programs of the DSWD.

The World Bank (WB), Asian Development Bank (ADB), and Australian Agency for International Development (AUSAID) will be recognized for their continuing support to the poverty reduction projects being implemented by DSWD.

The Gawad Paglilingkod sa Sambayanan or GAPAS Awards, on the other hand, is given to the model LGU and an established People’s Organization  implementing social welfare and development programs and services, such as KALAHI-CIDSS, Day Care Service and SEA-K.

This year’s GAPAS awardees are:

•    City Government of Naga, Camarines Sur, Model LGU implementing Day Care Service

Naga City bagged the “Most Child-Friendly City” award since 2007 becoming a Hall of Fame awardee through its Naga Early Education and Development (NEED) Program.

•    GEB-AN SEA-Kabayan of Bauko, Mt. Province, Model Self-Employment Assistance Association.

The Geb-An SEA-Kabayan started as the Laglagan SKA organized on January 26, 2003 with 30 members from Barangay Bila, Bauko, Mt. Province. In two years, the association proved to be successful with members’ dues paid on time and active participation in community projects.  To qualify for a second level loan, the Laglagan SKA tied-up with Eb-eb SKA, thus becoming Geb-An SEA Kabayan.

Meanwhile, the Gawad Ulat recognizes media organizations and media practitioners who have shown their commitment to advance the advocacy, promotion and publicity of the Department’s programs and services. 

This year’s Gawad Ulat awardees are:

•    Manila Bulletin - Most Supportive Newspaper

•    ABS-CBN - Most Supportive Television Station for its partnership with DSWD through the segment, “Narito Ako, Kalinga ng DSWD”

•    DZEM – Most Supportive Radio Station for its partnership with DSWD through the program, “B.I.P. sa Hapon”

•    Ms. Helen M. Flores, The Philippine Star  Most Supportive DSWD Beat Reporter

•    Ms. Ellalyn B. De Vera, The Manila Bulletin    Most Supportive DSWD Beat Reporter

In giving recognition to DSWD’s partners, Secretary Soliman said, “We could not thank you enough for all the support you have extended to us throughout the years. We hope our simple token of appreciation will convey what’s truly in our hearts and minds. “   ### (DSWD-Social Marketing Service) January 25, 2011