Less than three months before President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s second State of the Nation Address (SONA) the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), through the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), kicked off the ‘Nagkaka1sang Bumabangon: The 2023 Pre-SONA Caravan’ at the Las Piñas East National High School in Las Piñas City on Wednesday, May 10.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) was among the government agencies which participated in the information and service caravan that aimed to bring social protection packages closer to Filipinos in need of aid from the government.

The event, which was launched at the Verdant Covered Court in Barangay Pamplona 3, was highlighted with the health and social service accomplishments in the first year of the Marcos administration and the distribution of aid to residents of Las Piñas City.

“Sa pamamagitan ng handog serbisyo caravan, layunin namin na maiparating sa inyong lahat ang iba’t ibang serbisyong panlipunan at pangkalusugan na maaari ninyong matanggap (Through the service caravan, we aim to provide you with various social and health services that you may avail of),” DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said in a video message.

Secretary Gatchalian expressed gratitude to the participating government agencies and institutions such as the Las Piñas City local government, the Department of Health (DOH), the Philippine National Police-National Capital Region Office (PNP-NCRPO), the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), the Commission on Population and Development (PopCom) and the Philippine Cancer Society, for taking an active role to bring the government services closer to the public.

“Wala kaming ibang hanggad sa DSWD kung hindi maibigay sa inyo ang sapat na tulong at suporta at makilala ninyo ang Marcos Administration bilang gobeyernong mapagmahal, mapag-aruga at mapagkalinga (Our main goal at DSWD is to provide you with sufficient assistance and support, and for you to recognize the Marcos Administration as a government that is caring, nurturing, and compassionate),” Secretary Gatchalian said.

Through its Field Office-National Capital Region, the DSWD provided different types of outright cash assistance for medical, transportation, funeral and burial needs of the beneficiaries, through its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program, with each beneficiary receiving. Php 3,000.

“Naiiyak ako dahil malaking pasalamat sa tulong na nabigay sa aming pamilya (I am in great joy and grateful for the assistance given to our family)” said Jocelyn Amper, one of the recipients of cash assistance under AICS.

According to the 43-year old Nanay Jocelyn, the financial aid from the DSWD will help her family sustain their daily needs especially amid the continuing effect of high inflation.

Among the services offered by other agencies were Measles-Rubella and Oral Polio Vaccine supplemental immunization;  free breast cancer screening; on-site registration for government health insurance; family planning orientation; feeding program; medical and dental services; on-site processing of police clearance and livelihood training for rug and charcoal making.

The caravan’s target is to serve more than 300 residents of Las Piñas City.

Social service delivery

The pre-SONA caravan served as a platform to make the public informed of the efforts and initiatives of the Marcos Administration on health and social welfare development.

DSWD Spokesperson and Assistant Secretary for Special Projects Romel M. Lopez delivered the briefing regarding the social services implementation in Metro Manila as well as the priority programs of DSWD.

Asst. Secretary Lopez discussed the government’s flagship program for poverty reduction, the Pantawid sa Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps, particularly its eligibility requirements, cash grants and conditionalities.

It was emphasized by the DSWD spokesperson that 4Ps is not just merely a cash aid or ‘ayuda’ but a developmental program that tries to end inter-generational poverty by investing in human capital.

“Ang pamahalaan ay nag-iinvest sa human capital, doon para sa mga bata. Ito pong conditional cash grants ay para sa edukasyon, nutrisyon at kalusugan ng mga bata (The government is investing in human capital, particularly in the children. The conditional cash grants given by the program is for the education, health, and nutrition of the children), Asec. Lopez said.

More than 4.1 million active 4Ps households are receiving cash grants from the government, through the DSWD, according to the report.

Asec. Lopez likewise presented the different types of assistance offered by the Department under its AICS program.

To date, more than 5.3 million Filipinos were served by the DSWD for their medical, education, funeral/burial and transportation needs.

Part of the discussion of Asec. Lopez was a brief orientation on the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) or the DSWD’s program that offers capacity building activities to improve the program participants’ socio-economic status. #