PANTAWID YOUTH POWER. Pantawid Pamilya Regional Program Coordinator Araceli M. Layog welcomes Pantawid youth participants to the first-ever Youth Development Session (YDS) SportsFest held at F. Bustamante High School, Tibungco, Davao City. This year’s theme is “Mga Batang Pantawid Pamilya Sama-sama, Batang Nagkakaisa, Palarong May Pag-asa”.  Some 384 youth beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilya from the barangays of Panacan, Ilang, Tibungco, Mahayag, San Isidro, Gatungan, Bunawan, and Lasang gathered for the three-day event. Also present were some Pantawid Pamilya parents. (DSWD)

Youth participants in the first Pantawid sportsfest.

DAVAO CITY – Some 384 Pantawid Pamilya youth beneficiaries from the various barangays of Bunawan District -Panacan, Ilang, Tibungco, Mahayag, San Isidro, Gatungan, Bunawan and Lasang   recently gathered for a three-day Youth Development Session (YDS) SportsFest at F. Bustamante High School, Tibungco.

The first ever YDS SportsFest bannered the theme “Mga Batang Pantawid Pamilya Sama-Sama, Batang Nagkakaisa, Palarong May Pag-asa”. The project is a partnership of Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Harvest House and Davao Bay Coconut Oil Mills.

“The main objective of this activity is to develop the leadership skills of our Pantawid youth by encouraging each member to actively participate in all fun and healthy physical activities,” said Evangeline Grandeza, DSWD Regional Focal Person for Family and Youth Development Sessions. “It also aims to promote the universal recognition that organized youth sports can develop positive attributes including promoting a healthier lifestyle, strengthened self-esteem, fair play and good citizenship,” she added.

The YDS was introduced in 2015 by DSWD, National Youth Commission (NYC) and the Department of Education (DepEd). It was created to motivate students in finishing their education through the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

It also serves as a tool for children aged 12-18 to develop stronger family relationships, focus on their studies and ambitions while engaging in meaningful activities that can promote self-worth, define their identity, lead a healthy life style through engagement in various civic and sports activities and even responsible parenting, among others.

Pantawid Pamilya is a poverty-reduction strategy of the national government that incentivizes families to keep children healthy and in school. The program has a total of 234,622 registered households in Davao Region as of March 2016. (DSWD)

Davao City- The Area Based Standards Network (ABSNet) of Region XI recently celebrated 16^th year of quality social services to the poor and vulnerable sector with the theme “Soar High Towards Excellent Social Services”.

Inspired by the positive response of social welfare and development agencies (SWDAs) in the region, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as lead agency in social protection, organized ABSNet in 2000 to institutionalize partnership relative to registration, licensing and accreditation of SWDAs.

ABSNet is composed of 126 DSWD-licensed and accredited social development organizations from all over the region.

A license is a certificate issued by DSWD to an agency which has complied with the statutory requirements to operate.  RA 4373 requires SWDAs “utilizing social work methods and interventions to secure a license from DSWD before they can operate as a social work/social welfare and development agency.”

The DSWD, through its regulatory function provides the standards and guidelines that govern the service delivery by SWDAs to ensure that the goal of uplifting the well-being of the disadvantaged is achieved.

“Today we give salute to your organization’s continued success. Let us continue to work together as you have been instrumental in assisting us in the registration and licensing of SWDAs,” DSWD Assistant Regional Director for Administration Ma. Vilia L. Vigil stressed.

“We started our celebration with a motorcade from Rizal Park to Abreeza Mall, followed by a program showcasing the talents of our children beneficiaries from different clusters,” ABSNet Federation President and Executive Director of Children’s Joy Foundation Rosemarie Dimagnaong said.

Dimagnaong said ABSNet will continue the advocacy and promotion of registration, licensing and accreditation of SWDAs; consultation dialogues with SWDAs that are not yet registered; provision of technical assistance to SWDAs applying for license; and conduct of different trainings and seminars.

ABSNET in Davao Region remains solid and strong in terms of partnership and networking as it performs its function in strengthening the DSWD regulatory services.

“Your effort has been a contributing factor that we were able to accomplish more than our targets and deliverables in social protection programs and initiatives. Let us continue to keep up the good work in the coming years and beyond,” Vigil urged. (DSWD)