The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) warned the public against spam text messages and social media posts saying that ‘all’ senior citizens will receive a monthly pension worth Php 1,000 from the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) starting in March 2023, when they register online.

The DSWD informed the public that ‘registration’ is not required to become beneficiaries of the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens and the DSWD has no schedule yet for the release of the additional PhP500.00 since the budget is not yet available.

The Department further appealed to the public to remain vigilant and to refrain from entertaining text messages from unknown individuals and sharing unverified social media content to avoid confusion as the NCSC clarified that the said message did not emanate from the Commission and that its content is untruthful.

The DSWD also clarified that the distribution of the monthly Social Pension stipend of Php500.00 for indigent senior citizens is still being implemented by the Department, pending the full transfer of the Social Pension program to the NCSC.  Meanwhile, the increase of PhP500 monthly stipend will be implemented as soon as the Department of Budget and Management released the funds to the DSWD for the said provision, under Republic Act (RA) No. 11916.

In addition, the Department emphasized that while the Act increasing the social pension stipend for seniors has already been passed, this still needs funding for its full implementation. The DSWD through its Regional Offices and Local Government Units (LGUs) will provide information to the public, particularly to senior citizens, once the budget for the additional PhP500.00 social pension will be released to the DSWD.

RA No. 11350, the Act creating and establishing the NCSC provides that all functions, and activities, including the corresponding funds implemented by the DSWD for the poor, vulnerable, and disadvantaged seniors shall be transferred to the Commission.

While transitioning, the Department will continue to assist the NCSC to ensure that appropriate services and interventions are provided to older persons. ###

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian (center) meets the delegation of the United Nations (UN) to reaffirm existing ties and establish new partnerships in mitigating hunger in the country.

From left to right: DSWD Undersecretary for General Administration and Support Services Group Antonio C. Crisanto Jr.; Assistant Secretary for Office of the Secretary  Concerns Irene B. Dumlao; Undersecretary for Policy and Plans Group  Atty. Adonis P. Sulit;  Undersecretary for Special Concerns Vilma B. Cabrera; UN Development Program Coordination Officer Eden Lumilan; UN World Food Programme Deputy Country Director Dipayan Bhattacharyya; DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian; UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Gustavo Gonzales; Development Coordination Officer – Regional Director for Asia Pacific David Mclachlan-Karr; UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)  Representative in the Philippines Lionel Dabbadie; Resident Coordinator Officer – Economist John Alikpala;, Anticipatory Action Coordinator – United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) Ms. Agnes Palacio; and FAO Assistant Representative Tamara Duran.

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian met with United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Gustavo Gonzales, Development Coordination Office (DCO) Regional Director for Asia Pacific David Mclachlan-Karr, and the delegates of the United Nations to reaffirm their existing ties and establish new partnerships to end hunger in the Philippines, on Friday, February 17, at the DSWD Central Office.

During the meeting, Secretary Gatchalian laid out to the UN representatives his thrust and priorities that include ending hunger in the country and strengthening the disaster response mechanisms of the Department.

The Secretary added that one of his plans to mitigate hunger and achieve food security is the implementation of digital food stamps that can be used by its recipients to buy goods in grocery stores and supermarkets. With the digital food stamps, the Secretary added that it will also become beneficial to the rural farmers as he plans to connect them and their crops to the local markets.

On his plan to strengthen the disaster response mechanism of the Department, Secretary Gatchalian shared his priority to add warehouses and establish hubs and spokes in strategic locations in the country to ensure immediate assistance to the affected individuals, especially those residing in geographically-isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA).

In response, the UN delegation presented to the Secretary that they are currently pilot-testing the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for Anticipatory Action (AA) for predictable hazards in the Bicol Region and Eastern Visayas. Under the CERF AA pilot, beneficiaries will be provided with top-up cash transfers three days before the predicted landfall of a typhoon.

Meanwhile, Mr. Gustavo Gonzalez assured the Secretary that the United Nations is willing to provide the necessary technical assistance, as well as the resources needed to successfully implement this proposal.

Mr. Gonzalez also mentioned that one of the UN’s top priorities is to provide assistance to the people of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), which the Secretary supported.

Secretary Gatchalian, likewise, assured the UN delegation that the DSWD will include representatives from BARMM in the team that will be created by the Department to lead the formulation of the proposal, to be presented to the UN. ###

Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian and United Nations-World Food Programme (UN-WFP) Representative and Country Director Brenda Barton show the signed deed of donations during the hand-over ceremony of WFP donated equipment to the DSWD. 

In a simple hand-over ceremony on Tuesday, February 28, at the National Resource Operations Center (NROC) in Pasay City, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian received  donated material handling equipment from United Nation’s World Food Programme (UN-WFP) Representative and Country Director Brenda Barton.

The DSWD and WFP signed the deed of donation for the donated equipment which include five units of hand pallet jack, three units of vacuum machine and one unit of push pull forklift for the use of NROC.  In addition, another five units of hand pallet jack, two units of counterbalance forklift, and one unit of reach truck were also donated for the Visayas Disaster Resource Center (VDRC).

WFP Country Director Barton said she is always proud to showcase the amazing service, see the warehouse facility, and appreciate the work that the Department does.

“We consider NROC and the VDRC as the gifts that keep on giving because these are investments from many years ago that we collectively made after Typhoon Yolanda, when the UK and Australian governments supported your request to automate and make your system efficient.”

She added that the WFP welcomes opportunities to help make the Department’s disaster operations better, as the DSWD will undoubtedly be busy when typhoons occur and that the donated equipment will surely help save time and ensure efficiency.

In response, Secretary Rex Gatchalian expressed the Department’s gratitude for the continuous support of the WFP in assisting the DSWD capacitate itself more efficiently in responding to disaster occurrences.

“Thank you, WFP, for the additional donations that you have given the NROC family. We all know that efficiency is always key whether in the workplace or in personal life.  We have to get goods as fast as we can from point A to the hands that need them the most; so these moving and vacuum equipment will come in very, very handy,” the Secretary said.

Secretary Gatchalian also shared that the Department is currently looking at the creation of another repacking center and warehouse facility in Mindanao to increase the DSWD’s capacity to stockpile food packs and other disaster response related resources.

He further said that more needs to be done to ensure that DSWD will respond adequately and appropriately during disaster occurrences.  The Secretary emphasized the importance of “efficiency, prepositioning; making sure that when disaster strikes, DSWD and its partner, WFP, are on the ground when it happens, as it happens, and the last one to leave after it happens.”

Also present during the activity were WFP Deputy Country Director Dipayan Bhattacharyya; WFP Head of Supply Chain Kevin Howley; WFP Logistics Associate Carlo Buning; WFP Program Policy Officer Alice Follosco; Partnership and Reports Associate Katrinamae Lerios; Communications Assistant Christian Reyes; DSWD Undersecretary Marco Bautista; Assistant Secretary Diana Rose Cajipe; and, National Resource and Logistics Management Bureau Director Corazon L. Macaraeg. ###

Idinaos ang Municipal Orientation ng Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) sa pamamagitan ng Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan, Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services, Kapangyarihan at Kaunlaran sa Barangay (KALAHI-CIDSS-KKB) sa Multipurpose Hall, Brgy. II, Plaza Squadron, Quezon, Nueva Ecija.

Aabot sa 7.5 million ang grant allocation na ibaba sa mga barangay na kung saan ay pag-uusapan ng mga kani-kaniyang barangay ang kanilang problema, at dito pipili ng pinaka priority na pwedeng gawan ng proyekto.

41 participants na binubuo ng mga punong barangay, representante mula sa mga barangay, at mga na miyembro ng Municipal Inter-Agency Commitee ang dumalo sa naturang aktibidad. 

Kabilang dito ang Sanguniang Councilor ng Quezon, Nueva Ecija, Ma. Odet Lahom na nagpahayag ng pagsuporta at pasasalamat sa programa, “Maraming salamat sa DSWD at sa KALAHI-CIDSS sa  pangalawang pagkakataon na mapasama ulit sa programa ang Munisipalidad ng Quezon. Makakasigurado kayo na aming ibibigay ang aming suporta sa programa.” ###

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Undersecretary Vilma Cabrera, as the Philippine Senior Officials Meeting on Social Welfare and Development (SOMSWD) Leader, chairs the ASEAN Inter-Sectoral Consultation to enhance the Regional Guidance on Strengthening the Role of Social Work and the wider Social Service Workforce in Health and the Justice System via online platform.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the focal agency representing the Philippines in the ASEAN Sectoral Body on Social Welfare and Development, hosted the virtual consultation in cooperation with the ASEAN Social Work Consortium, the ASEAN Secretariat and with the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) East Asia and Pacific Regional Office.

The successfully concluded ASEAN Inter-Sectoral Consultation held on February 7 and 8, was attended by the members of the ASEAN Social Work Consortium, representatives from the relevant ASEAN Sectoral Bodies, the ASEAN Secretariat, the UNICEF and other UN agencies, as well as government and non-government organizations.

The virtual consultation aimed to gather feedbacks and inputs from participants to enhance the Draft Regional Guidance on Strengthening the Role of Social Workers and the Wider Social Service Workforce in Health; and the Draft Regional Guidance on Strengthening the Role of Social Workers and the Wider Social Service Workforce in the Justice System.

During the opening of the consultation, Secretary Rex Gatchalian expressed his support for the goal of the activity.

“Consistent with our commitment to the Hanoi Declaration on Strengthening Social Work towards a cohesive and responsive ASEAN community, and its accompanying ASEAN roadmap, the Philippines remains to be a strong advocate for the progressive strengthening of social workers and the wider social service workforce recognizing their valuable contribution in the promotion and protection of the marginalized and vulnerable sectors of the society,” Secretary Gatchalian said.

The Hanoi Declaration on Strengthening Social Work adopted by the State Leaders during the 37th ASEAN Summit in November 2020, was considered to be the first regional framework for social work to accelerate the collective action for the strengthening, recognition, and advancement of social work in ASEAN.

“Aiming for the standard and responsive delivery of social services to uplift the quality of life of all people in the ASEAN region, particular attention is needed to plan, develop and support its workforce. A well-defined and evidence-based frameworks and strategies will ensure that the social workers and the wider social service workforce are prepared to respond to the emerging issues and the challenges of the fast changing landscapes for social welfare and development,” the Secretary added.

The participants of the virtual consultation articulated issues in social work practice and recommendations which include the need to plan and develop multi-disciplinary training opportunities and an effective curriculum to improve the competencies of social workers based in the medical field and justice system of ASEAN Member States (AMS).

Likewise, the panel also suggested to highlight the importance of social workers in both fields and to strengthen coordination among AMS through the development of data collection systems and information management.

The DSWD hopes that through the inputs from the participants, the two regional guidance documents will be able to help advance the condition of social work practice in the ASEAN Region.

The two outcome documents are expected to be endorsed for notation of the State Leaders during the ASEAN Summit in November 2023. ###

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian gave a stern warning against scammers who spread text messages about ‘unclaimed’ cash aid to target vulnerable sectors such as senior citizens.

“We will make sure to prosecute you to the fullest extent ng batas kaya ‘wag na kayong magkakamali na mahuli namin kayo (of the law so don’t make the mistake of getting caught),” Secretary Gatchalian said in an interview.

This warning was made after the Department received from a concerned citizen a report that there is a text message circulating over mobile phone users regarding the alleged ‘unclaimed’ relief allowances for senior citizens and retired business owners.

Secretary Gatchalian mentioned that the Department has mechanisms in place to detect scammers and to prevent any incident of scamming and deception among its clients.

“Para naman sa mga patuloy na gumagawa nyan sisiguraduhin namin dito sa DSWD na mahuhuli at mahuhuli namin kayo (For those scammers, we will make sure that we are able to catch you),” the Secretary added.

He also appealed to the public to not use the name of the Department for deceiving senior citizens, pointing out that such act “is even worst na nananamantala kayo ng mga taong walang kalaban-laban (that you are taking advantage of the vulnerability of individuals).”

Moreover, Secretary Gatchalian reminded the public to be more vigilant and responsible in engaging with unknown individuals over the phone.

“Ito ang babala namin sa publiko na huwag kayong maniniwala sa mga naglalako ng kung ano-anong mga serbisyo na kunwari ay galing sa DSWD (This is our reminder to the public not to believe those who offer services pretending to be from the DSWD),” he said.

The Secretary likewise advised the public to report any suspicious messages they receive to the nearest DSWD office or to any concerned government agencies. He said it is also the obligation of all citizens to verify information from the authorities.

Meanwhile, Secretary Gatchalian reiterated that the Department has no such relief allowance that is being provided to the seniors. However, he said that DSWD implements social pension program for indigent senior citizens and that other financial assistance for individuals in crisis situation, including the said sector, is extended through the Department’s Crisis Intervention Unit (CIU) located at the Central Office and in all Field Offices nationwide. ###

Pinangunahan ni Regional Director Jonathan V. Dirain ang opisyal na pagbubukas ng dalawang linggong selebrasyon ng ika-72 anibersaryo ng DSWD Region 3 bilang bahagi ng makasaysayang paggunita ng pagkakatatag ng Departamento. 

Sa unang araw ay idinaos na ang elimination games para sa mga kalahok sa basketball, volleyball, at badminton. Ipinakilala rin ng mga SWAD ang kanilang mga representate sa Gandang Sportsfest mula sa LGBTQIA+ community. 

“I know everybody is ready to show their athleticism, but the long wait is over. I know all of you are excited to win and get the championship. What is important is how we play sports, it’s how we build camaraderie, teamwork, and friendship and these should translate when we go back to work.” mensahe ni Director Dirain. 

Bukod sa sportsfest, magkakaroon ng iba’t-ibang aktibidad at patimpalak para sa mga empleyado ng kagawaran. Ang pagdiriwang ay mula sa huling linggo ng Pebrero hanggang sa unang linggo ng Marso. 

Bahagi rin ito ng wellness program ng Regional Office para sa kanyang mga manggagawa. ###