Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Gatchalian has reiterated that the funding for the Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) and Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICs) are sourced solely from the agency’s approved budget. “Again, let me just state for the record, wala hong pondo ang congressman . Yung ‘pondo ko,’ wala hong pondo ang congressman. These are department-disbursed funds,” Secretary Gatchalian told the members of the Senate Finance Committee during the deliberation of the agency’s proposed 2025 budget on Monday (October 14). This was in response to the statement of Zamboanga City 1st […]

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian explains various points  before the Senate Finance Sub-Committee chaired by Senator Imee Marcos during the second Senate deliberation of the agency’s 2025 proposed budget on Monday (October 14). Secretary Gatchalian was joined by members of the Department’s executive and management committees, as well as the heads of attached and supervised agencies. After the budget hearing, the DSWD chief answered some queries from reporters, explaining the agency’s guidelines and policies on existing programs and services, as well as the validation process for eligible beneficiaries.

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian welcomed the creation of 4,000 to 5,000 regular positions for the agency’s employees as reported by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) during the continuation on Monday (October 14) of the Senate deliberation on the agency’s proposed 2025 budget. “Madame Chair, kung ‘yun po ang report ng DBM, we will be very happy,” Secretary Gatchalian said in response to the statement of DBM Assistant Secretary Leonido Pulido III before the Senate Committee on Finance chaired by Senator Imee Marcos. According to Asst. Secretary Pulido, “there is a continuing effort […]

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Undersecretary Vilma Cabrera of the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) and Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) leads the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with various stakeholders on the proposed amendments that will further strengthen the implementation of the 4Ps on Friday (October 11) in Quezon City. During the FGD, Undersecretary Cabrera underscored that the DSWD, under the leadership of Secretary Rex Gatchalian, recognizes the need for 4Ps to be redesigned to support the development side of social welfare in order to address gaps that perpetuate the cycle of poverty, and ultimately […]

In a rundown of the key accomplishments of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) core anti-poverty program with its 21 years of existence, an agency official cited the impact of the program’s community-driven development (CDD) approach in promoting gender equality. In the DSWD Thursday Media forum last October 10, the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) National Program Manager (NPM) Director Bernadette Mapue-Joaquin said this is manifested in the active participation of women in identifying, designing, and implementing development projects to address poverty in their communities. “Marami po sa kababaihan sa KALAHI-CIDSS ay […]

As the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) spotlights the 21st anniversary of the Kapitbisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS), a senior agency official has reiterated the need to institutionalize the program and its community-driven development (CDD) approach to address poverty. KALAHI-CIDSS National Program Manager (NPM) Director Bernadette Mapue-Joaquin emphasized this during the DSWD Thursday Media Forum at the Sequoia Hotel in Quezon City on October 10. “Marami na tayong nagawa, pero marami pa rin po talaga ang nangangailangan… kaya parte po ng advocacy ng KALAHI-CIDSS ay yung sustainability at institutionalization. Ito yung mga […]

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has now more than 2 million boxes of family food packs (FFPs) ready for augmentation to local governments units (LGUs) needing assistance for their disaster operations, an official of the Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) said on Friday (October 11). Assistant Secretary for DRMG Irene Dumlao, who is also the DSWD’s spokesperson, said the 2 million boxes are so far the highest number of FFPs prepositioned in the agency’s warehouses nationwide. “The FFPs are continuously being produced to ensure availability of relief goods whenever a disaster or emergency occurs,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao […]

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Undersecretary Monina Josefina Romualdez leads the awarding ceremonies for the winners of the National Bayani Ka! Awards on Thursday (October 10) in Quezon City. The Bayani Ka! Awards is the highest recognition given by the DSWD’s Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) to its exemplary communities and partners in implementing and promoting the community-driven development (CDD) approach. Joining Undersecretary Romualdez in conferring the awards on the winners were Asst. Secretary Florentino Loyola, Jr and KALAHI-CIDSS National Program Manager, Director Bernadette Mapue-Joaquin.

For Rhodora Datar, a resident of Mati City in Davao Oriental, she knows her life is changing for the better as she jokingly shared that she can now buy her own red lipstick, and can casually borrow some goods from local stores in their community without getting a second look, whether she is capable of paying for these or not. These little wins, according to Rhodora, are no bragging rights but a humble reminder of how far she had come, hand in hand with the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP ) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD). “Maraming […]