Officials of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) led by Secretary Rex Gatchalian met with executives of the Mercury Drugs Corporation to help more Filipinos in crisis situation to purchase medicines from the latter’s selected branches through agency-issued guarantee letters (GLs). A Guarantee Letter is a document issued by the DSWD in favor of the beneficiary addressed to service providers that guarantees the payment of the service on behalf of the client, including medicine. During the Thursday (September 12) meeting held at the Mercury Drugs Corporation head office in Quezon City, Secretary Gatchalian thanked Mercury Drug Corporation President […]

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office 6 – Western Visayas is currently on high alert after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) warned of an “eruptive unrest and an increase in the alert level” following the seismic activity of Mt. Kanlaon. “As instructed by Secretary Rex Gatchalian, the DSWD is on high gear as our regional offices prepare for the worst, amid the volcanic unrest of Mt. Kanlaon in Negros Oriental,” Asst. Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group (DMRG) Irene Dumlao, who is also the agency spokesperson, said on Thursday (September 12). According to […]

The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Field Office (FO) 4-A – Calabarzon Regional Director Barry Chua briefs members of the media on his FO’s disaster response operations following the series of tropical storms and fire incidents that affected various parts of the region. In the Thursday Media Forum on September 12, RD Barry Chua, who was joined by Calabarzon Disaster Response and Management Division (DRMD) Chief Laila Abo Milambilin, provided reporters with updates on the family food packs (FFPs) and non-food items (NFIs) that were already delivered to local government units (LGUs) affected by Carina and Enteng across […]

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office 7-Central Visayas assured the local government units (LGUs) in Negros Oriental that the agency has enough relief supplies to augment the LGUs’ resources for any possible effects of Mt. Kanlaon’s volcanic activities. “We, at the DSWD, assure the governor, district representatives, and town and city mayors that we will provide the needed support—both food and non-food items (FNIs) and  even personnel of the FO-7,” DSWD Central Visayas Regional Director Shalaine Marie Lucero said on Thursday (September 12). Director Lucero said the FO-7 has a stockpile of 6,800 boxes of family […]

In an effort to step up its disaster response in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs), the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Field Office (FO)-CALABARZON is now in the process of procuring more storage facilities in these hard-to-reach localities. In the DSWD’s Thursday Media Forum on September 12 at the Central Office’s New Press Center in Quezon City,  DSWD-CALABARZON Regional Director Barry Chua told the members of the Media that the FO recently inaugurated a new warehouse in Polillo Island located off the eastern coast of Luzon. “Meron na po tayong bagong warehouse mismo dito sa Polillo Island. Needed […]

In an effort to help children in conflict with the law (CICL) cope with their traumatic experiences, the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Field Office (FO) 6-Western Visayas conducted psychological first aid and other psycho-social processing activities for children-residents of the agency’s Regional Rehabilitation Center for Youth (RRCY) in Guimaras province. A group of Post Graduate Diploma on Child Protection (PGDCP) scholars, who are also employees of the FO 6, crafted and conducted the September 2 activities that are designed for children to build closer relationships, have opportunities to express themselves, and enjoy their fellowship. “The team reached […]

The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Field Office (FO) 7 – Central Visayas has been closely monitoring the ongoing preemptive evacuation in Canlaon City amid the volcanic unrest of Mt. Kanlaon in Negros Oriental. In a report to DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Central Visayas Regional Director Shalaine Marie Lucero said that as of 10 pm Tuesday (September 10), about 88 families or 248 individuals have been evacuated in three different public high schools for their temporary shelter. In Barangay Masulog, 65 families or 204 individuals have been evacuated to the Masulog High School. In Barangay Malaiba, 10 families […]

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian has directed the agency’s Field Office (FO)-CALABARZON to send immediate assistance to the local government unit (LGU) of Bacoor City in Cavite province following the fire that engulfed residential houses in Longos, Barangay Zapote 3 on Tuesday (September 10). Upon learning of the fire incident, Secretary Gatchalian ordered FO-CALABARZON Regional Director Barry Chua to immediately coordinate with Bacoor Representative Lani Mercado for the provision of relief support for the lady solon’s fire-hit constituents. In an updated report to Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Director Chua said the FO has 14,000 family food […]

An official of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Wednesday (September 11) reiterated that beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) are selected based on a standard screening process to ensure that only qualified families can benefit from the program. “Unang-una, kailangan na naitalagang mahirap sa ating National Household Targeting System o Listahanan,” 4Ps National Program Manager, Director Gemma Gabuya said as she discussed the selection process of 4Ps beneficiaries during the pilot episode of the 4Ps Fastbreak, the DSWD’s newest live program that aims to beef up public knowledge and awareness about the agency’s poverty […]