Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Tuesday (October 1) listened to the recommendations and suggestions of the local chief executives (LCEs) and local social welfare and development officers (LSWDOs) for the further improvement of the agency’s programs and services for poor and marginalized sectors.
“Nagpatawag po ngayon ng consultation dialogue ang DSWD, kasama ang ating mga LCEs dahil gusto naming makinig muli sa inyo. Di naman lingid sa inyong kaalaman na naging mayor din ako for nine years sa Valenzuela. During those times, I realized that the solutions will come from the bottom—galing sa atin, sa hanay ng mga local government units (LGUs)—kesa galing sa taas,” Secretary Gatchalian said in in his online message to the Consultation Dialogue with LCEs and LSWDOs at the Crown Legacy Hotel in Baguio City.
The DSWD chief said the agency wants to forge a stronger alliance and partnership with the LGUs in delivering social protection services.
One of the functions of the DSWD is to provide technical assistance and capacity building to LGUs to empower them and increase their capacities in providing programs and services in a timely manner.
Secretary Gatchalian assured the LCEs and LSWDOs that the agency will keep an open-door policy for their suggestions and recommendations to better improve the services for the most needy.
“Makaaasa kayo na our ears are open, our minds are open, and hindi ninyo kailangang antayin na may dialogue para idulog sa amin ang issues ninyo. We will always keep an open-door policy in the DSWD so that we can listen to you kasi mas alam ninyo yung ground, alam ninyo yung mga kliyente ninyo, ang kanilang pangangailangan, at mga dapat gawin na innovations kaya makikinig kami sa inyo,” the DSWD chief said.
During the dialogue, Mayor Ronelie Valtoribio of Villaverde town in Nueva Vizcaya raised an observation on the agency’s Supplemental Feeding Program (SPF) telling the Secretary that there is a decrease in weight after a child-beneficiary transitions to kindergarten from child development centers or supervised neighborhood plays, specifically during the summer break.
Mayor Valtoribio suggested that the SFP should be a year-round program to ensure that children will maintain their health.
In response, the DSWD Secretary said the agency is pushing for an additional budget to extend the duration and scope of the program.
“It does not mean we are giving up. We are always fighting during the budget season to put more money into the feeding program… Your plea is our plea and we will make sure that every time we go to Congress and the Senate to ask for budget, we will make sure to keep on pushing for an expanded feeding program to add more money to it so that mas mahaba yung duration and mas maraming maco-cover,” Secretary Gatchalian explained.
Another LCE, Benguet Mayor Armando Lauro of Tublay town in Benguet province suggested to the DSWD chief the provision of assistance or subsidy to persons with disabilities and solo parents.
“I always believe that social protection should go to the poorest, weakest, and the most marginalized in the communities. I agree with you and I know na may mga panukala sa Kongreso at sa Senado hinggil dito so we will continue to lobby for it. Tulungan nyo po kami, the League of the Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) family, para maipasa ang mga panukala na ito para hindi lamang solo parent, hindi lamang senior citizens, pati na rin may kapansanan natin ay makatatanggap din,” Secretary Gatchalian responded.
Other matters discussed during the consultation dialogue were the implementation of the Social Pension Program (SocPen), Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP), Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS), and Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS).
Secretary Gatchalian underscored the importance of the LCEs and LSWDOs, and their role in the implementation of social welfare programs and services at the LGU level.
“We appreciate you giving us the key points of what you think the Department needs to address, the indicators we need to monitor, and to harness and to standardize. Thank you for giving us that input. We will see to it that the framework that we will come up with will address all these concerns,” Secretary Gatchalian said.
The first batch of consultation dialogue, which was attended by the LGUs of Regions 1 (Ilocos Region), 2 (Cagayan Valley), 3 (Central Luzon), Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and the National Capital Region (NCR), served as a venue for LGUs to voice their concerns and seek guidance on how they can improve the service delivery of social protection to their constituents.
The DSWD will also meet the representatives of the Visayas and Mindanao clusters, as well as the remaining regions in the southern Luzon, in the next consultations dialogues.
“I assure you that this will be one of the many dialogues that we will keep on doing. Alam ko naman na busy ang atin mga alkalde pero patuloy kaming makikipag-usap sa kanila at sa kanilang mga representante tulad ng ating LSWDOs. Alam ko personally, alam naming dalawa ni Undersecretary Denise Florence Bernos-Bragas dahil pareho kaming naging mayor, the heart and soul of every LGU is the LSWDO. Alam namin na kayo talaga ang pukpok at bugbog sa trabaho. Kaya nga sabi ko, the least we can do in the Department is to listen to you because you know the ground, you know what else to be done to make your life more efficient and better,” Secretary Gatchalian said.
DSWD Chief Wants Constant Engagement, Partnership With LGUs For Better Service Delivery
