Angeles City, Pampanga — Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office III conducted workshop on Social Welfare and Development Indicators (SWDI) Provincial Profiling and Analysis last June 22, 2016.

This initiative took shape to establish a readily available data for the benefit of Provincial Advisory Committees (PACs); to evoke commitment and suitable intervention from the partner stakeholders in the provincial-level.

Having an established Provincial Profile is anchored on the Memorandum Circular No. 18, or the Guidelines on Internal Convergence of DSWD Core Social Protection Programs. It aims to eliminate fragmented, uncoordinated, redundant, and overlapping image and service of the government.

The activity was attended by Resource Persons (RPs) from PDPB Central Office, Assistant Regional Director for Operations (ARDO), Regional Convergence Coordinator, and DSWD provincial staff composed of Provincial Action Team Leaders, Provincial Links, Provincial Coordinators, Social Welfare Officers (SWOs) III and II.

SWDI is a tool used for assessing the level of well-being of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiaries to determine and monitor the level of well-being of Pantawid families (Level 1- survival, poorest of Pantawid families; Level 2- subsistence, families barely meeting the basic living necessities; and Level 3- self-sufficient, families who have the means to support and sustain the needs of their members), and facilitate grass roots social case management.

As of December 31, 2016 there is a total number of 3,695,885 assessed Pantawid families (both registered and active), of which 267,701 is from Region III. As of today, there is a total number of 149,729 Pantawid families classified under the Level 1, that is, 4%; a total number of 3,156,829 Pantawid families classified under the Level 2, that is, 85%; and a total number of 389,327 Pantawid families classified under Level 3, that is 11%.
By 2019, DSWD envisioned that Level 3 Pantawid beneficiaries will have increased by more than four (4) times its number using the baseline assessment. ### (Andyleen C. Feje)