The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and its partners from different national agencies have reaffirmed their commitment to an inclusive and comprehensive assistance to children, individuals, and families in street situations during the Pag-abot Inter-Agency Committee (IAC) first quarter meeting on Tuesday (March 25) at the DSWD Boardroom in Batasan, Quezon City.
Undersecretary Edu Punay of the DSWD’s Innovations and Program Development Group (IPDG) said the meeting was a “big step forward” for the full scale implementation of the Pag-abot Program.
“We have implementing rules and regulations (IRR) where the respective partner-national government agencies (NGAs) will be coming to help us with the program. It authorizes us to perform our mandates in our respective NGAs on how we can contribute to the success of the program. The design is a whole-of-government approach,” Undersecretary Punay said.
The DSWD official said the convergence of services of the participating agencies is reflective of the whole-of-government approach of the Marcos administration in addressing the needs of the vulnerable sectors.
“Ito ang vision ni President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr na whole-of-government para mapagtagumpayan natin yung tasks natin, yung ating responsibilities and we won’t work in silos anymore. Now, we are converging our programs for the most vulnerable.” Undersecretary Punay pointed out.
During the meeting, the Pag-abot Program presented its accomplishments and the draft IRR that will seal the functions and responsibilities of each concerned agency, allowing IAC members to share their inputs.
“We are seeing a participative, action-filled implementation of the Pag-abot Program. Sana po hindi lang sa IRR—not just in paper ang ating commitment—but in action. We expect everybody to take part in the implementation of the Pag-abot Program,” Undersecretary Punay said.
Also discussed in the first quarter meeting were proposed ways to strengthen cooperation through various initiatives and sharing of the beneficiaries’ data in order for them to provide better access to the member’s services.
“This is part of our responsibility as civil servants—to serve. As we have stated time and again, ang clientele, ang mga beneficiaries ni Pag-abot, these are the poorest of the poor. As in mukha ng kahirapan… walang tahanan, walang makain. Ito yung pinaka-deserving ng government interventions that our respective agencies offer,” Undersecretary Punay pointed out.
The meeting was attended by the IAC members and representatives from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), as Vice Chairperson; Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Education (DepEd), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP), Small Business Corporation (SBC), and Cooperative Development Authority (CDA).
Signed on January 18, 2024, the Pag-abot Program became one of the government’s flagship programs through Executive Order No. 52.
The EO institutionalized the program as a platform for an enhanced and unified delivery of
services to vulnerable and disadvantaged children, individuals, and families in street situations, through the provision of social safety nets and protection against risks brought about by poverty. (YADP)