In a significant step toward promoting peace in conflict-affected communities, 21 newly constructed child development centers (CDCs) were officially turned over on Thursday (June 19) to communities in Makilala town in North Cotabato. The turnover of the CDCs was spearheaded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through the agency’s Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) Program under the Peace and Development Buong Bansa Mapayapa – National Program Management Office (PDBBM-NPMO) and Field Office 12-SOCCSKSARGEN, in close coordination with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU). Undersecretary Alan Tanjusay of the Peace and Development […]

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reiterated that the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) targets individuals whose income are below the minimum wage and are reeling from the effects of inflation. Director Edwin Morata of the Protective Services Bureau-Crisis Intervention Division (PSB-CIU) explained to reporters during the DSWD Thursday Media Forum on June 19 that the target beneficiaries of the AKAP is what sets it apart from the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS). The AICS is open to anyone who is experiencing an extreme crisis situation, regardless of economic status. From January to June […]

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Friday (June 20) called on the entire agency to ensure that the newly-inaugurated Regional Rehabilitation Center for Youth (RRCY) exclusively for girls will not remain the only one of its kind in the country. “We will make sure that this is intentional. It can’t be one of its kind and will remain as the only one of its kind,” Secretary Gatchalian said during the blessing and inauguration of the first-ever RRCY for girls located in the municipality of Consolacion in Cebu. Secretary Gatchalian emphasized that the newly-inaugurated facility serves […]

“We see you. We hear you. And we acknowledge your struggles.” This was emphasized by Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian during the celebration of Filipino Social Workers Day on Thursday (June 19) as he cited the constant innovations of the agency aimed at easing the small inconveniences that often put the social work community at a disadvantage. “The instruction of our President is simple: to make the lives of our service providers easier and more efficient, so you can do what you do best, serve with a heart and with compassion,” the DSWD chief told […]

In continuation of the efforts to promote restorative justice for children in conflict with the law (CICLs), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will lead the inauguration and blessing of the first Regional Rehabilitation Center for Youth (RRCY) exclusively for girls on Friday (June 20) in the municipality of Consolacion, Cebu. Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao, the DSWD’s spokesperson, said the new RRCY is necessary to create a separate gender-sensitive facility to help in the rehabilitation and reintegration of girls in conflict with the law. “Young women and girls face distinct challenges that are different from their male counterparts. […]

The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Sustainable LivelihoodProgram (SLP) does not just give outright cash assistance for livelihood but instead focuses on helping individuals and associations prepare, learn, and grow so they can manage and sustain their start-ups as stable sources of income, an agency official said. Director Miramel Laxa of the agency’s SLP said eligible participants go through a step-by-step process that includes social preparation, financial literacy training, and capacity-building activities before they receive any form of livelihood support. “Hindi po ito outright cash, nag-undergo po muna ng social preparation and that includescapacity building in managing a […]

With the escalation of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has expressed its readiness to provide social protection and other form of assistance to overseas Filipinos (OFs) and their children should a mandatory repatriation is called by the Philippine government. According to Director Edwin Morata of the DSWD’s Protective Services Bureau-Crisis Intervention Unit (PSB-CIU), the agency has teams of social workers and prepared packages of interventions that can immediately be extended to OFs who will be repatriated to Manila. “Ready po ang DSWD. Pag nakatanggap po ng direktiba mula sa ating […]

The Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is a catch-all, all inclusive, stop-gap measure with the assistance provided depending on the situation being faced by the client – whether poor or middleclass, an agency official explained on Thursday (June 19). DSWD Director Edwin Morata of the Crisis Intervention Division (CID) also debunked prevailing perception that the AICS program is only for the poor and that the program was making the poor “lazy” and dependent on the DSWD. “Ang AICS ay isa sa mga frontline services ng Departamento. Isa po itong […]