In an effort to meet the challenges brought about by the COVID 19 pandemic and to prepare for the impending implementation of the Mandanas Ruling, wherein some of the programs and projects of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will be devolved to the local government units (LGUs), the Department crafted the SULONG (Strategic Focus Utilized to Leverage Our Nation’s Good Governance) Recovery Plan.
The SULONG Recovery Plan is envisioned to contribute to the protection of vulnerable sectors through responsive and appropriate social protection programs and services. The plan will be implemented starting this 2021 until 2022.
To ensure the achievement of the plan’s objectives, six strategic priorities and several approaches were identified. These are to mitigate the socio-economic impact of the COVID19 pandemic, natural disasters and human-induced emergencies to the vulnerable sectors that the Department serves by providing timely and appropriate assistance during these situations; increase the capacity of LGUs to improve the delivery of social protection and social welfare services in response to the pandemic and prepare for the full implementation of the Mandanas ruling; regulate Social Welfare and Development Agencies (SWDAs) to continuously comply with social welfare and development (SWD) standards and regulations.
The other strategies are to improve organizational processes, technological capacity and readiness to adopt with the new normal; promote an informed and evidence-based decision making through active utilization of credible system and reliable information management; and more importantly, ensure capacity building and occupational health and safety of personnel who are also at risk of the disease as measures are necessary to protect everyone in the Department to infectious, physical, psychosocial, and other occupational health and safety risks, especially brought by COVID-19.
The DSWD will leverage on its various programs and services to complement the strategies in meeting the objectives of the plan. The Department will also conduct regular monitoring to ensure that the implementation of the plan is on track.
In its 70 years of existence, the DSWD has hurdled numerous challenges including major natural and human-induced disasters and changes in leadership, but its commitment to serve, protect and empower the neediest sectors of society remains the same.
This year’s 70th anniversary theme, “Kabalikat ng mga Mahihirap sa Panahon ng Pandemya” is anchored on the over-all goal of the SULONG Recovery Plan which is to empower the poor, marginalized and vulnerable sectors to enable them to triumph over this global adversity. ###
