For Arlene Amoren, asking other people for help was not easy. She is the type of person who works day and night to provide for her needs as well as for her family, without having to burden others. But when she received the news that her mother-in-law was lying critically-ill in a hospital in Southern Leyte, for the first time in her life, she knocked on the doors of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for a plea for help. “Lumapit po ako dito dahil po yung nanay [mother-in-law] ko, kritikal na po sa ospital. Dahil hindi po […]

In February 2024, social workers of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Central Office went to Capas, Tarlac to listen to the Aetas from Barangays Maruglu and Sta. Juliana express their needs which could help them improve their lives. Three months later in May, the social workers from the DSWD’s Pag-abot Program returned to the Aetas’ municipality with no less than Secretary Rex Gatchalian joining the team. Secretary Gatchalian and his social workers made true their promise to the Aetas of Capas. They came with 50 carabaos in tow, the beast of burden which the Aetas have requested […]

The social work profession may be her second choice. But her work as a social worker is second to none. This sums up the story of Irene Orine, a dedicated social worker of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Central Office, who serves clients of the agency’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program. Catering to hundreds of in-need Filipinos daily, one would never think that Irene initially veered away from social work as she initially resisted to follow the footsteps of her mom who used to work at the DSWD. “Actually, second choice ko siya kasi […]

The sky is often the limit as to what parents can endure just to show their love for their children. This has been the story of Revine Carl Malco and his wife Erica, who never gave up on their sickly son, in miracles and in the good of others — even at such a point they were told their bundle of joy may not make it to his first birthday. As recalled by Revine, their son Reverie was just a month old ever since he has gone in and out of the hospital and was diagnosed with “Biliary Atresia,” a […]

Tides turn like they always do. And when the turning force came bringing with it the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Project LAWA and BINHI to the coastal communities of Paypayon and Mabuhay in the town of Oras in Eastern Samar, the towns folk made sure it would create more crests than just another passing wave. By rolling up their sleeves, tilling the forgotten soil, and building crab cages, the Oras townsfolk were able to boost their livelihood in full embrace of government aid that reached out to them. But this time, it was more than a quest […]

Edward Bonus was 19 years old when he lost his mother to brain cancer. From that day on, he never realized he could again feel a mother’s love until Aling Dionisia, the mother of his wife, became his mother-in-law and treated him like her own son. “Simula po nang pumasok ako sa pamilya nila, hindi na po ako naging iba. Parang siya na po ‘yung pangalawang magulang ko,” Edward Bonus said in an interview aired over the fifth episode of the AICS Chronicles, an online documentary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)’s Strategic Communications. They may not […]

For Mary Joyce Martinez, a mother of five from Talim Island in Rizal, each day means stretching every penny they had just to put food on the table. Dreams of becoming someone her children could look up to or a neighbor her community could count on was once a quiet hope, often blurred by the noise of daily hardships and quest for survival. But in 2013, lady luck smiled on them. Her family became part of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps)— the flagship poverty-alleviation program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). What started as support for […]

In the municipality of Lubuagan, Kalinga, a group of local blacksmiths starts their day early, lighting their fires and shaping metal by hand—just like what their ancestors did. This daily routine may seem ordinary to some, but for the people in Barangay Upper Uma, it’s a way of keeping their culture alive. Their challenge, however, was the lack of tools and equipment as well as a permanent workplace where they can stay and focus on further perfecting their craft which is also their source of livelihood. Thanks to the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) of the Department of Social Welfare and […]

Artemio Bautista, known to many as Art, always thought his name would lead him to a life of painting and drawing. With a passion for the arts, he dreamt of becoming a Fine Arts student but as it turned out, fate had other plans for him. Being a social worker wasn’t part of his dream. He never imagined that he would be working in the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Art came from a family of soldiers. His father, grandfather, and brother all served in the military, naturally leading him to consider a career in the Armed Forces […]