The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is strengthening its psychosocial interventions for teenage mothers and their families under “ProtecTEEN,” the agency’s strategy that strives to address the rising number of adolescent pregnancies in the country. In a report released by the Commission on Population and Development (CPD), a total of 142,276 adolescent mothers were recorded to have given birth in the Philippines for the year 2023. While the 2023 data on teenage pregnancies is less compared to the 150,148 cases in 2022, the CPD noted an alarming hike in the number of very young adolescent mothers under 15 […]

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian will lead guests, including Senator Joel Villanueva and United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director Regis Chapman, at the ceremonial launch of disaster response vehicles on February 7 (Friday) at the National Resource Operations Center (NROC) in Pasay City. The emergency response vehicles include mobile kitchens, mobile water treatment, water tanker trucks, forklifts, and a reach truck. “These mobile kitchens, water tanks and other equipment which we are launching on February 7 are part of the new initiatives of the DSWD that provides appropriate and quality services to families,” […]

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian said on Friday (February 7) that the new disaster response vehicles and equipment of the agency will greatly boost the DSWD’s efficiency to respond during disasters and calamities. “Kadalasan nakakaligtaan yung kabilang side ng disaster response, paano natin madadala roon yung tulong. Marami nga tayong tulong na pwedeng ibigay pero importante yung paano natin madadala yung tulong sa pinakamabilis na paraan at pinaka-efficient na paraan,” Secretary Gatchalian said in his speech during the ceremonial inauguration of the new vehicles and equipment at the National Resource Operations Center (NROC) in Pasay […]

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reiterated on Friday (February 7) that all the pending payments for the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens (SPISC) program had been completed by the concerned DSWD regional field offices as of December 31, 2024. “We have been continually addressing these issues. For the record, all the pending payments for social pension to eligible beneficiaries had been completed as of December 31, 2024,” Undersecretary Adonis Sulit of the DSWD’s Policy and Planning Group (PPG) said. According to Undersecretary Sulit, the delay in the payment of social pension in the DSWD Field Offices […]

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian and Sen. Joel Villanueva inspect the features of the agency’s new disaster response mobile vehicles and equipment during a ceremonial launch at the National Resource Operations Center (NROC), the main disaster response hub of the agency in Pasay City, on Friday (February 7). During the activity, the DSWD chief and Senator Villanueva took sips of the potable water from one of the two new mobile water treatment units of the agency. The two high-ranking government officials also served rice porridge in one of the 15 mobile kitchens that will be […]

The Medina family started in Moncada, Tarlac with practically nothing. The family used to live in Manila where they struggled to make both ends meet. Couple Rodolfo and Marina did not have regular jobs. “Kaya ako nananahi, minsan sa gabi, nakikilaba. Minsan humihingi pa ako ng pagkain dito (sa Moncada), ng bigas, ganun,” Marina told the Kwento ng Pag-Asa at Pagbabago (#KPAP), an award-winning online documentary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), as she narrated their family’s struggles in life. This proved difficult as they have three children who they were trying to send to school. When […]

Recognizing the importance of ensuring food security and proper nutrition among vulnerable sectors, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continues to strengthen its partnerships with other government agencies and other organizations. Through its field offices (FOs), the DSWD signed regional memorandum of understandings and agreements (RMOU/A) with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) to ensure food supplies in jail facilities. “As the chair of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger (IATF-ZH) and the lead of the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP) Program, the DSWD recognizes the importance of a whole-of-government approach in ensuring […]

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian has underscored inclusivity as the core of an open government during the high level Roundtable Discussion on Leadership in Action which was part of the 2025 Open Government Partnership (OGP) Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Taguig City on Thursday (February 6). Speaking as part of a high level panel composed of officials from the Asia and the Pacific Region, Secretary Gatchalian highlighted the initiatives being championed by the DSWD in support of the Open Government campaign of the Marcos administration. The DSWD […]

As teenage pregnancy remains a national concern, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is strengthening its services for adolescent mothers to ensure their psycho-social well-being as they assume their parental roles at a very young age. Project Development Officer (PDO) Diane Gianan of the DSWD’s Social Technology Bureau (STB)  said on Thursday (February 6) that the Department has embarked on the project “ProtecTEEN” that aims to contribute to various government initiatives that help prevent teenage pregnancy and minimize the vulnerabilities of adolescent mothers. “The ProtecTEEN project is the agency’s intervention strategy that strives to address the issue of […]