PBBM, DSWD, other agencies sign deal for Kadiwa ng Pangulo establishment nationwide

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday (July 17) leads the signing of the memorandum of agreement among national government agencies for the establishment of Kadiwa ng Pangulo (KNP) centers in all local government units (LGUs) nationwide.

During the ceremonial signing at the Pampanga provincial capitol, heads of various government agencies, including Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian, signified their support for expanding the KNP program in the local level to provide market for suppliers and bring various products closer to consumers.

As one of the priority projects of the Marcos Administration, the KNP program aims to provide accessible and affordable food and other commodities for Filipino consumers to cushion the effects of global inflation, while helping local producers earn more through a direct farm-to-market consumer trade.

For the DSWD, its Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) associations are offering various products such as bags, belts, wallets and various food delicacies, among others at the Kadiwa Centers.

Other government agencies present during the signing were the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Office of the President (OP), as well as the different LGUs in the country. #



DSWD chief in full support of PBBM’s Kadiwa centers

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian showed his full support for the Kadiwa ng Pangulo (KNP) program as he, together with other government officials, joined President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. during the nationwide roll-out of the project on Monday (July 17) at the Pampanga provincial capitol grounds.

In his message, President Marcos emphasized the importance of collaboration among government offices to respond to the needs of every Filipino citizen amid the high inflation and global economic instability.

“Hindi kayang gawin ng national government na maikalat lahat ng ating gustong ipadala na mga murang pagkain kung hindi ating kasama at ka-partner ang local government,” the President said.

(We, at the national government, cannot bring food and other goods at the lowest price closer to the people if we do not tap or partner with the local government.)

Applying the whole-of-nation approach, Secretary Gatchalian, together with the heads of other participating agencies, signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) expanding the KNP program in all local government units (LGUs) across the country.

Under the agreement, the establishment of Kadiwa centers nationwide was institutionalized while the participating government agencies committed to sustain the program.

Secretary Gatchalian, in his earlier statements, has expressed support for the Kadiwa centers, which according to him, directly help the beneficiaries of the Department.

During the Kadiwa center roll-out in Pampanga, beneficiaries of the DSWD’s Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) and  Regional Residential Care Facilities also put up stalls/booths to sell their goods, products, and delicacies directly to the consumers.

Some 42 sellers put up Kadiwa stalls to offer locally produced agri-fishery products and basic necessities.

A job fair was also held wherein 20 companies opened employment opportunities for walk-in applicants.

Apart from the agreement signing and setting up of Kadiwa booths, different national government agencies, including the DSWD, provided various government services and programs to beneficiaries.

For its part, the DSWD distributed family food packs (FFPs) and Php 3,000 worth of financial assistance under its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS).

Some 493 beneficiaries, composed of solo parents, informal settlers, labor workers, and those from vulnerable sectors received the assistance.

Livelihood grants were also awarded by the DSWD to 13 SLP beneficiaries.

During the ceremonial signing, the Kadiwa centers were simultaneously rolled-out in 82 provinces and 16 highly urbanized cities nationwide.

Among the signatories were the DSWD, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Presidential Communications Office (PCO), and the Presidential Management Staff (PMS).

Present during the event were DTI Secretary Alfredo Pascual, DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr., and DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma.

As one of the priority projects of the Marcos administration, the DSWD will continue to support Kadiwa centers to provide accessible and affordable food and other commodities for Filipinos to cushion and counter the effects of global inflation, while also helping local producers earn more through a direct farm-to-market consumer trade. #



DSWD chief orders RDs to link up with LGU officials for FFPs distribution

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Sunday (July 16) directed all regional directors in Luzon to closely coordinate with local government units (LGUs) officials for the distribution of relief goods in the aftermath of Tropical Depression Dodong.
“Kindly make sure to link up with your governors and tell them if they need help with evacuation. We can send over FFPs (family food packs). I’m seeing in the news isolated evacuations everywhere,” the DSWD chief told the regional directors.
Secretary Gatchalian emphasized that DSWD regional directors must be proactive in calling their respective governors, mayors and congressmen and offer to them delivery of FFPs in areas where there are evacuees.
Central Luzon Regional Director Jonathan Dirain told the DSWD chief that Field Office-3 has already coordinated with the provincial government of Bulacan for FFPs dispatch.
 “We will be sending FFPs to the evacuation center (in Bulacan) kahit wala pa po silang request,” Director Dirain reported to Secretary Gatchalian.
Among the areas affected by TD Dodong were the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya (Region 2-Cagayan Valley); Apayao, Kalinga, Abra, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Benguet (Cordillera Administrative Region);  Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, the northern portion of Pangasinan (Region 1-Ilocos Region); and the northern and central portions of Aurora (Region 3- Central Luzon)#


DSWD ready to pilot Food STAMP Program

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian said on Saturday (July 15) that the DSWD is now ready to pilot the WALANG GUTOM 2027: Food Provision through Strategic Transfer and Alternative Measures Program (Food STAMP Program).
“Handang-handa na tayo sa kickoff. Tuesday is the kickoff of the pilot. The pilot would take within that six months to fully mature. Tukoy na sila [beneficiaries] They are made of the poorest food-poor families and pregnant and lactating women,” Secretary Gatchalian said in the weekly Saturday News Forum.
(We are ready for the kickoff. Tuesday is the kickoff of the pilot. The pilot would take within that six months to fully mature. We have already identified beneficiaries for the kickoff. They are made up of the poorest food-poor families and pregnant and lactating women.)
“May card na sila at magagamit na nila sa Tuesday yon. Ang gagamitin nating modality ay isang Kadiwa ng Pangulo kasi we want to show that this is a full spectrum of farm-to-table,” the DSWD chief said.
(They already have a card and they can use it on Tuesday. The modality we will use is one of the Kadiwa ng Pangulo because we want to show that this is a full spectrum of farm-to-table.)
Through the Food STAMP Program, beneficiaries can buy selected nutritious foods in accredited ‘farmers-driven stores’ and other merchants.
This will help local farmers and fisherfolks to have a platform to sell their agricultural products, while also addressing the hunger problem in the country.
The DSWD chief also emphasized that the Food Stamp Program which aims to address involuntary hunger, malnutrition, and stunting among Filipinos, is not a temporary solution to end hunger.
One of the key features of the Food STAMP Program is job generation. Beneficiaries of the program will be required to attend capacity building and development training as well as become part of the labor workforce.
“You may look at at the Food STAMP [Program] as a temporary solution… Kung ang energy nila ay mababa, hindi sila makapagtrabaho. Ang goal nga natin dito ay tulungan silang makabwelo sa tatlo o apat na taon na bahagi sila ng programa, makakain ng tama para makahanap sila ng sapat na energy to be part of nation building,” Secretary Gatchalian pointed out.
(You may look at at the Food STAMP [Program] as a temporary solution… If their energy is low, they cannot work. The goal here is to help them start in the span of three or four years that they will be part of the program, eat right so they can find enough energy to be part of nation-building.)
“Kapag ang tao ay nakahanap na ng trabaho, then makakaalis na sya sa ganyang programa then we have done our job already,” the DSWD Chief added.
(When the person has found a job, then he can leave such a program, then we have done our job already.)
The Food STAMP Program will be piloted on Tuesday (July 18) in Tondo, Manila. #


DSWD Regional Offices on high alert for possible effects of TD ‘Dodong’

Regional offices of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) are currently on high alert in preparation for the possible effects of Tropical Depression Dodong, which made landfall in Dinapigue, Isabela province early morning of Friday (July 14).

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian directed all regional directors to be “extra ready” to respond to families and individuals who will be affected by possible floods and landslides due to the enhanced Southwest monsoon or ‘Habagat’ caused by TD Dodong.

“All DSWD regional offices should immediately activate their respective DRMD QRT (Disaster Response and Management Division-Quick Reaction Teams) and closely coordinate with their local DRRMCs (Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council),” Secretary Gatchalian said in his directive.

The DSWD chief also directed the Disaster Response and Management Group (DRMG), headed by Undersecretary Dianne Cajipe, to make sure that family food packs (FFPs) and other forms of relief assistance are ready for immediate dispatch to regional offices needing augmentation of their stockpile.

Based on the latest PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration) weather bulletin,  Typhoon Signal No. 1 is in effect in the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya (Region 2-Cagayan Valley); Apayao, Kalinga, Abra, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Benguet (Cordillera Administrative Region);  Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, the northern portion of Pangasinan (Region 1-Ilocos Region); and the northern and central portions of Aurora –Maria Aurora, San Luis, Baler, Dipaculao, Dinalungan, Casiguran, Dilasag (Region 3- Central Luzon)

The enhanced Southwest Monsoon may bring gusty conditions over the following areas: MIMAROPA, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, CALABARZON, Metro Manila, and other areas of Central Luzon not under any wind signal, according to PAGASA.

On Wednesday (July 12), the DSWD Bicol regional office reported flooding in Polangui Albay due to rains caused by the Southwest monsoon.

Currently, the Bicol Field Office has a QRF (quick reaction fund)/Standby Fund worth P5 million while total FFPs is at 129,193 boxes worth P80,860,982.00.

Non-food items (NFIs) such as sleeping kits and hygiene kits worth P120,851,476 are also ready for dispatch, according to the Bicol regional office. #



₱6M na ayuda ipinamahagi sa CSJDM, Bulacan kasabay ang LAB for ALL

Bilang parte ng LAB for ALL na inisyatibo ni First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, namahagi ang DSWD Region III ng 4,000 Family Food Packs at Php 6,000,000 na financial assistance na ginanap sa City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan ngayong araw.

Ayon kay DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, nakikiisa ang DSWD sa pagbibigay ng financial assistance na maaari nilang magamit panggastos sa iba pa nilang pangangailangan para sa kanilang kalusugan. Ang LAB for All ay naglalayong maghatid ng mahahalagang serbisyong pangkalusugan na mas madaling ma-access ng mga ordinaryong Pilipino.

Ang mga kinatawan mula sa Philhealth, Department of Health, Department of Interior and Local Government, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority at Department of Social Welfare and Development ay nagtutulungan sa pagbibigay ng mga serbisyo sa mga piling indibidwal mula sa serbisyong pangkalusugan hanggang sa tulong pinansyal at Family Food packs.

Dumalo rin sa aktibidad si Assistant Regional Director for Operations Venus Rebuldela, bilang kinatawan ni Regional Director Jonathan V. Dirain.



DSWD reunites mother, three kids after 4 years under Gentle Hands custody

After four years of separation, Ms. Monina Roxas is happy to be finally reunited with her three children on Thursday (July 6), which was made possible through the assistance of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the local government unit (LGU) of Pasig  City.
Monina’s children were previously under the custody of Gentle Hands Inc., (GHI), the privately-run orphanage in Quezon City, which was shut down after the DSWD issued a cease-and-desist order for overcrowding and other safety issues.
Monina on Wednesday (July 5) told the Senate Committee on Women, Family Relations, and Gender Equality that GHI executive director Charity Graff had refused to return her three children to her custody despite the issuance of a Parental Capability Assessment Report (PCAR) by the Pasig City government.
She also told senators that GHI personnel prohibited her to visit her children, and was only able to see them three times since 2019.
The 30-year-old Ms. Monina expressed her gratitude to the DSWD for assisting her in taking custody of her children.
The three children, aged 10, 9, and 7, were among the more than 100 children who were taken by the DSWD from the GHI after the Department found  various  violations committed by the orphanage that led to the issuance of CDOs on May 22 and June 13, this year.
The children-residents who were pulled out from GHI were transferred to the three centers and residential care facilities (CRCFs) under the management of DSWD.  These are the Elsie Gaches Village in Alabang, Muntinlupa City; Nayon ng Kabataan in Mandaluyong City and the Reception and Study Center for Children in Quezon City
 Monina’s three children were given shelter at the Nayon ng Kabataan in Mandaluyong City.
Monina was also one of the mothers who filed kidnapping charges against GHI for its refusal to return the children to their custody.
The DSWD, through Field Office – National Capital Region (NCR) Assistant Regional Director for Operations (ARDO) Miriam Navarro, assured Ms. Monina that the Department and the Pasig LGU will provide her and her children with necessary assistance, depending on the assessment of the social workers.
The Pasig LGU said it will also look into linking her with other city programs, including possible job placement.
“Binabanggit namin sa iyo na not necessarily na turn over ito. Mayroon pa rin kaming task pero sila [Pasig LGU] pa rin ang magmamanage ng case mo. Sila rin naman ang makikipagcoordinate sa amin kapag mayroon pang ibang needs na yun nga, binabanggit natin na outside Pasig na pwedeng i-augment ng national, kami yon. Pwede pa rin kaming tumulong sa iyo. Hindi namin kino-close yung door namin sa iyo… Nandyan pa rin kami,” NCR-ARDO Navarro said.
(We are telling you that it is not necessarily a turn over. We still have a task but they [Pasig LGU] will be the one managing your case. They will also coordinate with us when there are other needs outside Pasig that can be augmented by the national. We can still help you. We are not closing our door for you… We will still provide assistance.)
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian had said that the Department continues to promote and protect the wellbeing and best interest of every Filipino child. #


DSWD holds forum with Social Welfare Agencies

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through its regulatory office, the Standards Bureau (SB), recently conducted its 4th Malayang Talakayan with partner Social Work Agencies (SWAs) via online video conferencing.

The activity served as a platform to share innovative strategies and highlight good practices of SWAs towards their journey to achieve service excellence.

The Malayang Talakayan also provided opportunities for the representatives of SWAs to discuss facilitating and
hindering factors concerning case management, advocacy of regulatory services, compliance to set standards, and capacity building in order to achieve higher levels of accreditation.

Some of the private SWAs which shared their best practices were the Child and Family Services Philippines, Inc.; Children International; Balay Taripato; Unbound Zamboanga Foundation, Inc.; Center for the Handicapped, Inc.; RUTH Foundation for Palliative; and Hospice Care, Inc.

Representatives from public SWAs who also attended the forum were from the National Training School for Boys (NTSB); Nayon ng Kabataan; Area Vocational Rehabilitation Center (AVRC) II; and Tulay ng Kabataan, Inc.

On behalf of DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Undersecretary for Standards and Capacity Building Group (SCBG) Denise FB Bragas congratulated the social work agencies for sustaining and further leveling up their accreditation status.

DSWD Assistant Secretary for SCBG Janet P. Armas expressed her gratitude to the SWAs for sharing their good practices.

Asst. Sec. Armas said the DSWD will ease its processes on the registration and licensing through its Digital Transformation (DX) initiative.

“Through streamlining efforts, we look into merging registration and licensing processes to ease regulatory burdens at your convenience with the goal of digitization of processes,” Asst. Sec. Armas said.

She also thanked the SB, led by its director, Atty. Megan Therese Y. Manahan, for organizing the forum.

Under the leadership of Secretary Gatchalian, the Department will continue to create avenues for discussion to assist SWAs in delivering quality social protection programs and services for the best interest of poor, vulnerable, and marginalized Filipinos. #