The Department of Social Welfare and Development – Central Luzon received a news report and validated the same through the official Facebook account of the Bulacan Police Provincial Office which stated that a 52-year-old Barangay Kagawad candidate for local elections was arrested on October 28,2023 at Barangay Bagong Barrio in Pandi, Bulacan by the operatives of the Bulacan Police Provincial Office for alleged vote-buying activities in the area in clear violation of the Omnibus Election Code. 

It was mentioned in the report that several items were seized from the possession of the suspect at the time of the arrest which included the “General Intake Sheet of the DSWD”. The General Intake Sheet of the DSWD is a document used for an intake interview that basically provides information of clients seeking assistance from the Department. 

The DSWD hereby clarifies that the apprehended candidate is neither a staff nor a DSWD official and has no direct engagement, in whatever capacity, with the DSWD. Further, the alleged vote-buying incident involving the use of DSWD document is an isolated incident and no further similar reports are being received by the Department. However, the public is warned to remain extra vigilant and to not entertain those individuals’ offering assistance from DSWD in exchange for their votes. Persons-in-need and eligible to receive assistance from DSWD shall submit their documents to authorized DSWD staff only at our DSWD Offices and no payment in any form shall be collected from them.

We reiterate that the Department of Social Welfare and Development stands firm to the policies and rules pertaining to the use of election paraphernalia in compliance with the Omnibus Election Code and appurtenant guidelines and issuances by the COMELEC regulating specific acts committed before or during election by candidates and the like.

We generally condemn the illegal use of these documents as election paraphernalia which alludes that these DSWD documents might have been used for personal gains of candidates during the SKB elections denigrating the life-long and well-established integrity and dignity of the Department as well as its ever-vigilant workforce. We will not allow that the Department’s character be put in shade through the commission of acts violative of the election code.

Again, as an integral agency under the auspices and direction of the Honorable Secretary of the Department, we shall make all necessary efforts to see to the full extent the truth behind this incident. ###

In recognition of the contributions of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries in demonstrating and preserving positive Filipino values, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will hold the 4Ps National Family Day 2023 at the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) Multipurpose Gym on Wednesday (October 25).

The 4Ps National Family Day is an annual celebration aimed at strengthening the advocacy efforts of the program and promoting the value of health and education among poor household- beneficiaries.

With the theme: “Aluyan ng Katatagan at Pag-Asa”, this year’s celebration will showcase the success stories of beneficiaries, depicting the 4Ps as a pillar of hope and resilience in achieving self-sufficiency.

“Today, we celebrate a series of remarkable accomplishments achieved by the exemplary Pantawid Pamilya families. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to these families for graciously sharing their inspiring journey through the 4Ps program,” 4Ps National Program Manager, Director Gemma Gabuya said.

Director Gabuya added: “Your stories are living testimonies of your hard work, alongside the government and our valued partners, in breaking the vicious cycle of poverty.”

As part of the celebration, the DSWD will award 17 Huwarang Pantawid Pamilya from the different regions who have exhibited strong family ties and carried out exemplary practices and achievements that created positive impact and promoted empowerment to the families and their communities.

Each regional winner will receive a plaque of recognition and cash incentive of Php10,000, on top of the other prizes provided by their respective DSWD Field Offices.

For this year’s celebration, the 4Ps will also award the top five winners of the story writing contest dubbed as Salaysay ng Buhay ng Pamilyang Pantawid.

The writing contest aims to capture the inspiring stories of the 4Ps household-beneficiaries written by the families themselves.

The winners with the best-written stories will receive cash prizes from Php5,000 to Php15,000 and plaques of recognition.

The 4Ps is the national poverty reduction strategy and a human capital investment program of the government that provides conditional cash transfer to qualified household-beneficiaries.
The 4Ps is also a human development program which provides social protection, social assistance, social development, and other complementary support services in partnership with concerned agencies, local government units and other stakeholders toward improving the health and nutrition, education, and socio-economic aspects of the lives of the beneficiaries.

As of June 30, 2023, the 4Ps covers a total of 3,893,958 active household-beneficiaries across 41,676 barangays in the entire country. #

Idinaos ang back-to-back na aktibidad ng Department of Social Welfare and Development sa pamamagitan ng Kapit Bisig Laban Sa Kahirapan Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) sa Subic Bay, Zambales.

Ang KALAHI-CIDSS Regional Community Volunteers Congress at Bayani Ka! Awards ay taunang idinadaos para bigyan ng mataas na parangal ang ating mga community volunteers at para bigyan sila ng pagkakataon na ipahayag ang kanilang sarili sa pamamagitan ng pagkulay at paglikha ng awitin. 

Dinaluhan ito ng Assistant National Program Manager ng KALAHI-CIDSS na si Ms. Ma. Consuelo Acosta, DSWD Region 3 Regional Director Venus F. Rebuldela at ng Local Chief Executives at ng iba pang partner stakeholders ng KALAHI-CIDSS. 

Nagbigay ng mensahe ng pasasalamat at inspirasyon si Dir. Venus F. Rebuldela, “Aking inaasahan bilang Regional Director po ng  Field Office III, Kayo po ang mangunguna sa pagbabago at pag aadvocate ng pagbabago sa inyong komunidad. Nandito lang po kami lagi sa tabi niyo para kayo po ay alalayan at bigyan ng guidance para mas mapaganda panatin ang implementasyon ng KALAHI-CIDSS”

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Thursday (Oct. 12) condoled and formally extended assistance to the family of a Filipino migrant worker who was among the two Pinoy casualties in the October 7 attack of Hamas militants along the border of Gaza and southern Israel.

In a report to DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Undersecretary for Operations Group Pinky Romualdez said officials and personnel of DSWD Field Office 3 (Central Luzon) have reached out to the family of 42-year-old Paul Vincent Castelvi who are residing in Pampanga.

Field Office 3 Regional Director Venus Rebuldela directed Officer-in-Charge (OIC)-Assistant Regional Director for Operations (ARDO) Armont C. Pecina together with the community-based social workers to visit the family of Paul Vincent in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga.

“ARDO Pecina together with the social workers immediately visited the family of Mr. Paul Vincent Castelvi in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga to express our sympathy to the bereaved family. The team has provided through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program financial assistance amounting to Php 10,000,” Regional Director Rebuldela said in her report to Usec. Romualdez.

The FO-3 regional director advised the parents of the deceased that the DSWD will also provide burial assistance to the family once the transfer of the remains of Paul Vincent to the Philippines is completed, according to Usec. Romualdez.

“The family members were also informed that they will be referred to projects under the DSWD’s Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) to help them in their livelihood since Paul Vincent is the breadwinner of the family,” Usec Romualdez said in her report to the DSWD chief.

The undersecretary for Operations Group said the FO-3 community-based social workers will remain in contact with the family members to continuously provide psychosocial support in the time of bereavement of the family.

“The FO-3 also committed to monitor the repatriation of the wife of Paul Vincent who is currently 8 months pregnant and has expressed the desire to return home to the Philippines along with the remains of her husband,” Usec. Romualdez said.

“Rest assured that the DSWD FO-3 will be delivering the necessary support to the family of the deceased in order to alleviate the impact of this unfortunate event to their family,” Usec Romualdez added.

Secretary Gatchalian has earlier directed the DSWD Operations Group to locate the families of the two Filipinos who were killed in the ongoing conflict in Israel so the Department can extend the necessary assistance to them.

The DSWD chief directed Undersecretary Romualdez to get in touch with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and get the details of the families of the two Filipino migrant workers who were killed when the militant Hamas launched a surprise attack in southern areas of Israel last Saturday (Oct. 7).

Secretary Gatchalian noted that no amount of money can relieve the sufferings of the families who lost their loved ones in the Hamas attack against Israel but he stressed that the DSWD will make sure that all possible assistance will be given to them.

Usec Romualdez said the Field Office-1 (Ilocos Region) was able to get in touch with the family of the slain 32-year-old Pinay nurse in Pangasinan but her mother was still in a state of shock and wanted her privacy.

The Pinay nurse and her Israeli elderly patient were killed by members of the militant Hamas group during the first wave of attack last October 7.

In a Facebook post, the Commissioner for Foreign Workers’ Labor Rights in Israel confirmed that a Pinay nurse named Angeline died after staying with her patient despite the chance to run away.

“Galing sa Pilipinas si Angeline para magtrabaho sa Kibbutz Kfar Gaza. Sa nakamamatay na pag-atake ng terorista sa Kfar Gaza, hindi siya tumakas sa kabila na kaya niya, dahil sa katapatan sa kanyang pasyenteng si Nira,” said the commission in a translated language of Hebrew.

Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications Romel Lopez said that in addition to receiving financial support under AICS, the families will be directed to their own regional offices where social workers will evaluate them and determine what services they will require in their hometowns.

There are some 30,000 Filipinos in Israel and 137 others live in the Gaza strip, where the militant Hamas launched their attacks.#

Families of the three Filipino fishermen who were killed in the October 2 ramming incident in Bajo de Masinloc have received cash aid from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) immediately after the accident.

In a report to DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Field Office 3 (Central Luzon) Regional Director Venus Rebuldela said FO-3 personnel have given financial support to the families of the three fishermen who lost their lives in a boat accident in Bajo de Masinloc last October 2.

The three fishermen who died in the ramming incident were Dexter Laundensia, 40, the boat captain, Romeo Mejico, 38, and Benedick Uladandria, 62.

According to Director Rebuldela, the families of the three fishermen each received Php10,000 as burial assistance under the DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) plus boxes of family food packs (FFPs) for the family members.

The DSWD FO-3 also rendered assistance to the 11 fishermen who survived the accident by providing them with cash assistance of Php5,000 each as well as boxes of FFPs for their families.

“Our Central Luzon Field Office will continue to monitor and provide the necessary assistance to the families of the affected fishermen,” Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications Romel Lopez said.

On October 2 around 4:30 in the morning, the Filipino fishing boat FFB Dearyn was rammed by a foreign commercial vessel as it was traveling through the waters of Bajo de Masinloc. Three fishermen lost their lives in the unfortunate incident while 11 fishermen suffered injuries.

The survivors were all from Barangay Calapandayan in Subic, Zambales.

Along with the DSWD, the local government units (LGUs) of Masinloc and Subic also assisted the affected fishermen and their families.

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian expressed his support in strengthening the partnership and coordination between the Philippines and receiving countries involved in adoption and alternative child care during the 17th Philippine Global Consultation on Child Welfare Services at the Hilton Hotel, Pasay City on Tuesday (October 10).

“We hold this global consultation every two years to discuss issues and address concerns to improve the policies, systems, and procedures on child welfare services. These discussions have paved the way toward better programs and policies for children,” Secretary Gatchalian said in his speech.

The DSWD chief, in his message, also emphasized the need to address emerging concerns on the processes of legal adoption and foster care.

“The task of supporting adoptive families and foster families must continue to be enhanced, especially in terms of strengthening the capacity of prospective adoptive parents about their new roles and other measures to prevent adoption disruption,” Secretary Gatchalian explained.

The DSWD chief added: “Moreover, it is also important to bolster our partnership and coordination to prevent the trafficking of children, especially with the ease of using social media to facilitate such criminal activity.”

The global consultation serves as a venue for central authorities, foreign adoption agencies, embassy partners, child caring and child placement agencies, as well as other allied professionals to discuss concerns and address emerging issues affecting the placement and adoption of Filipino children.

With the theme “The Premise and the Promise of Republic Act No. 11642”, the global forum focuses on Republic Act No. 11642 or the Domestic Administrative Adoption and Alternative Child Care Act, which establishes a simpler and inexpensive process of domestic adoption and streamlined alternative child care services that uphold the best interest of children.

Organized by the National Authority for Child Care (NACC) headed by Undersecretary Janella Estrada, the global consultation started on October 9 and will culminate on October 13. #

The Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office 3 – Central Luzon provided financial assistance to the bereaved families of 3 fisherfolks who died and the families of 11 surviving fisherfolks on the boat collision in the waters covered by Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal). 

Moreover, the families were given Family Food Packs amounting to ₱10,800.00, financial assistance amounting to ₱55,000.00, and ₱30,000.00 burial assistance. 

In addition, the local government unit of Masinloc also provided financial assistance. 

DSWD Field Office 3 – Central Luzon commits to continuously assist and monitor the fisherfolks and their families.

For more information, you may contact our staff,  Karen Kristel P. Cunanan via kkpcunanan@dswd.gov.ph###