The Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office XI (DSWD XI) has ensured its preparations in response to the possible onslaught of severe tropical storm Auring in Davao Region, where the province of Davao Oriental and some five municipalities of Davao de Oro were placed under Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal (TCWS) # 1 as of 11 a.m. of February 19.

To date, the total available stockpile and standby funds for disaster response stands at ₱16,336,919.73.

A total of 16,574 family food packs (FFPs) worth ₱7,076,742.48 are prepositioned at the DSWD Warehouse located at Barangay Bago Oshiro, Davao City. The FFPs are intended as resource augmentation to local government units (LGUs) that might be affected by the severe tropical storm.

Also on hand are ₱3,078,025.00 worth of raw food items, ₱3,182,152.25 worth of non-food items and ₱3,000,000.00 worth of standby funds that can be further used when the need for additional relief items arise.

The DSWD has deployed a skeletal workforce that will be on duty on February 20 and 21 and has already activated its eight Quick Response Teams (QRTs), composed of 12 members each. This is to ensure that DSWD employees are ready for possible deployment to disaster response operations.

A total of 20 DSWD service vehicles are also put on standby to be used for possible delivery of basic social services in times of disasters.

Lastly, the DSWD is in continuous coordination with the different LGUs, national government agencies (NGAs) and the Social Welfare and Development Offices (SWADOs) in the different provinces as to the possible effects of the weather disturbance in the region.

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The Department of Social Welfare and Development, through its Field Office (FO) IV-A, is ready to augment the resources of local government units (LGUs) that will be affected by the increased volcanic activity of the Taal Volcano.

To date, the Field Office has more than P2.6 million worth of family food packs (FFPs) and over P8.5 million worth of available relief supplies for repacking. It also has more than P8.3 million standby funds that can be used to procure additional emergency relief supplies.

Aside from ensuring the availability of emergency resources,  the disaster teams from the FO, led by DSWD Undersecretary  Jose Antonio R. Hernandez, attended the virtual conference of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) IV-A–Response Cluster on February 16 to discuss the preparedness for response operations of localities in the lakeshore of Taal Volcano.

The FO has also placed its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) under heightened alert to monitor volcanic activities and to provide technical assistance to municipalities that will require assistance.

As head of the Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the Department can deploy members of its Quick Response Teams to assist LGUs in managing evacuation centers that will be set-up for displaced families.

The Department is also urging locals to be vigilant and to strictly follow the orders of local authorities for their own safety. ###

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rolando Bautista shared his recognition as a Cavalier Awardee for Administration in the 2021 Philippine Military Academy Homecoming to all the officials and staff of the Department.

“This honor is shared to all the DSWD personnel who painstakingly perform their mandate for the love of God and country. To God be the Glory,” Secretary Bautista said.

Secretary Bautista was recognized for being at the forefront in the fight against COVID-19.

As head of the DSWD, Secretary Bautista shepherded the Department when it implemented the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) for families affected by the pandemic. The SAP was the biggest program of its kind in the country involving more than 18 million family-beneficiaries.

Despite this gargantuan task and the threat to his health and well-being, Secretary Bautista remained undaunted, going around the country to oversee the implementation of the program, ensuring that the assistance reached those who needed it most.

Secretary Bautista received on February 13, the award together with three other cabinet secretaries under the Duterte Administration. ###

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), together with other member-agencies of the Task Group Face Mask (TG FM), led the turn over of free reusable face masks for the poor constituents of the Cities of Caloocan, Makati, Davao, and Iloilo from February 3-February 10, 2021.

A total of 3,289,660  pieces of cloth face masks were turned over to the local chief executives of said cities broken down as follows: Makati, 391,000; Caloocan, 1,194,000; Davao, 852,330; and Iloilo, 852,330. With this, a total of 7,576,360 face masks were already turned over to 24 municipalities and cities, and three provinces.

This is in line with the presidential initiative entitled “Libreng Face Mask Para Sa Masa”. The project aims to strengthen the government’s strategic plan to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 infections by enabling and encouraging the public to follow the minimum public health standards and also to support the micro, small, and medium enterprises whose operations were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other government agencies comprising the TG FM include the Department of Health, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Procurement Service of Department of Budget and Management, Office of Civil Defense, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and Department of Science and Technology- Philippine Textile Research Institute. ###

Tagum City, Davao del Norte – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office XI recently held the blessing of the Center for Children with Special Needs (CCSN) as one of the highlights of its 70^th anniversary celebration.

In attendance were DSWD XI Regional Director Raquel E. Nuñez, along with the members of the regional management committee, and Assistant Secretary Rodolfo M. Encabo of the Disaster Response Management Group who represented the officials of DSWD Central Office.

Governor Edwin I. Jubahib together with Mayor Allan L. Rellon and some members of the City Council also graced the event.

“We extend our utmost appreciation to the local government for their support to this project,” Assistant Regional Director for Operations Merlinda A. Paragamac said in her message.

The CCSN is the first and only DSWD-managed facility in Mindanao that will cater to children with special needs.

“Despite the many challenges, the local government never hesitated to be one with the department in its goal of promoting the social welfare of the vulnerable and marginalized sectors,” Ms. Paragamac added.

The city government of Tagum donated more or less four thousand square meters of land to the department where the residential care facility now stands.

The CCSN, in its full operation, will have a bed capacity of 60.

Apart from the CCSN, DSWD XI is managing the Reception and Study Center for Children located in Bajada, Davao City that caters to abandoned, neglected, and/or surrendered children up to 6 years old; the Regional Rehabilitation Center for Youth, a residential facility in Mintal, Davao City which offers care and rehabilitation to children in conflict with the law; the Home for Girls and Women, a facility located in Maa, Davao City that provides protection, care, treatment, and rehabilitation to abused and exploited girls and women; and the Home for the Aged, a haven in Visayan Village, Tagum City for unattached, abandoned, neglected, and homeless older persons aged 60 years old and above. ###

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 70^th 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. ###

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), as part of the Task Group Face Mask (TG FM), continues to provide free face masks to local government units (LGUs) in high COVID-19 risk communities across the country.

On January 26, DSWD Undersecretary Rene Glen Paje led the turnover of 496,000 pieces of reusable face masks to the Provincial Government of Rizal, represented by Rizal Provincial Governor Rebecca “Nini” Alcantara Ynares.

A similar activity was held in Pasay City on January 29, with DTI Assistant Secretary Dominic Tolentino Jr. and Director Lilian G. Salonga who presented 546,000 pieces of cloth face masks to Pasay City Mayor Imelda “Emi” Calixto-Rubiano.

To date, the task force has already distributed 4,286,700 face masks to 20 cities and municipalities, and 3 provinces in Luzon.

The face mask distribution is in line with the presidential initiative entitled “Libreng Face Mask Para Sa Masa”. The project aims to strengthen the government’s strategic plan to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 infections by enabling and encouraging the public to follow the minimum public health standards and also to support the micro, small, and medium enterprises whose operations were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. ### 

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) warns the public against fake text messages on alleged social welfare relief funds for senior citizens.

The DSWD clarified that such assistance or fund does not exist.

The Department appealed to the public to avoid engaging in such activities  as well as sharing their personal details. For information on social welfare and development concerns and ongoing activities,  the public may refer to the DSWD website, dswd.gov.ph,  and to the Department’s official social media pages. ###