On the right path

Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian, when enjoined in the celebration of the Manila Bulletin’s 125 th on the theme ‘Life Is Better,’ cites the many ways he and DSWD focus on developing self-sufficiency in our country men 

Nine years as Valenzuela City mayor and almost three terms as congressman taught me a lot of lessons when it comes to social welfare. When I was appointed by the President to head the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), I spent my first two months listening to the officials and personnel followed by a gradual reorganization to make sure that my plans for the Department would be carried out.

I have stated in my first media interview at DSWD that fighting poverty is a long game. But hunger is something we can immediately address. Hence, the Food Stamp Program, now known as Walang Gutom Program (WGP), was approved by the President as a flagship program. Around 300,000 food-poor households are now benefitting from the WGP, which is part of the target one million households by 2027.

Two other innovations were put into motion by the DSWD—the Pag-Abot Program, which reaches out to families and individuals in street situations (FISS), and the Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program, which aims to help elementary learners, who have difficulties learning how to read, to develop their foundational reading skills while offering short-term work for financially challenged tertiary level students.

As DSWD secretary, I have always put a premium on the development side of the agency as these programs aim to make poor people self-sufficient by providing them with the necessary government interventions.

As DSWD secretary, I have always put a premium on the development side of the agency as these programs aim to make poor people self-sufficient by providing them with the necessary government interventions.

The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is our flagship anti-poverty program that aims to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty by providing cash grants for the education and health of children below 18 years old. 

This January, the 4Ps will roll out the First 1,000 Days of a Child (F1KD), which gives additional cash grant to cover essential health and nutrition expenses during this critical period of a child’s life. It aims to provide monthly health grants worth ₱350 to female 4Ps beneficiaries who are pregnant and households that have children from zero to two years old.

The other development programs, which the poor and vulnerable sectors can avail of, are the Sustainable Livelihood program or SLP, which provides seed-capital for small businesses, and the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS), which provides poor communities with bridges, paved roads, and sources of water. 

During the 2024 SONA of the President, he made special mention of the latest DSWD initiative on climate change mitigation—Project LAWA (Local Adaptation to Water Access) and BINHI (Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for the Impoverished).

On the social welfare side, our kababayans can always avail of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), such as a guarantee letter for accredited hospitals and drug stores or other forms of assistance for burial, transportation, food, and education. For the minimum wage earners whose purchasing power has been eroded by inflation, we have the Ayuda para sa Kapos and Kita Program (AKAP), which can be availed of by security guards, sales ladies, and factory workers. 

The social workers in the DSWD—the Angels in Red Vests—are the vital cogs that make the social welfare and development program machinery function effectively and efficiently. The continuous employment of social workers will ensure that the poor and the vulnerable sectors always receive the “maagap at mapagkalinga” brand of service with added extra love and extra care.

This is the reason the DSWD is continuously making efforts to empower social work students toward ensuring that the future of social welfare in the country is on the right path.