The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Pag-Abot Program has already reached out to more than 3,000 individuals in street situations this year.
Pag-Abot Program OIC-Division Chief Jayson Oabel told reporters during the DSWD Thursday (November 21) Media Forum that the program reached out 3,354 individuals in street situations, of whom 2,784 have returned home.
“Mayroon po kaming tinatawag na package of services, so ito po ay kinapapalooban ng financial at transportation assistance at relocation allowance sa kanilang pag-uwi sa kanila pong mga probinsya,” OIC-Division Chief Oabel said when asked about the forms of assistance provided to the beneficiaries.
Before allowing the clients to return to their hometowns, Pag-Abot social workers from the DSWD’s Field Offices and receiving local government units (LGUs) will conduct a pre-reintegration case conference to prepare the reintegration plan for the beneficiaries.
The plan includes the activities and the roles and responsibilities of concerned personnel to ensure the successful reintegration of the beneficiaries. The Pag-Abot team division chief told the Media Forum they have already started intensifying their mass reach-out operations in Metro Manila in coordination with LGUs since the start of the “Ber” months.
“Ngayon pong mga panahong ito ongoing po yung mga mass reach out para po mabigyan natin ng serbisyo ang ating mga kababayang nasa lansangan at mai-alis po sila duon sa kapahamakang pwedeng kasadlakan po nila kung sila ay mananatili sa lansangan,” OIC-Division Chief Oabel said.
The Pag-Abot Program was standardized through Malacañang’s issuance of Executive Order (EO) No. 52.
It expanded to strengthen the reach-out operations for families and individuals in street situations (FISS) with the help of other national government agencies.
The weekly Thursday Media Forum at the DSWD Central Office’s New Press Center is hosted by Special Assistant to the Secretary (SAS) for Communications Raymond Robert Burgos and Traditional Media Service Director Aldrine Fermin. It is live-streamed over the DSWD Facebook page.
DSWD reiterates appeal for ‘responsible help’ to children, IPs in street situations
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has renewed its call to the public not to give alms to children in street situations, homeless individuals, and members of Indigenous Peoples’ (IP) groups, whose numbers usually grow especially during the holiday season.
“The DSWD would not like to dampen the Christmas spirit. Gusto pa rin po natin na magbahagi po ng tulong lalong-lalo na sa mga bata, so the responsible means of doing that is to reach out to them, remove them from the streets dahil sila po ay nalalagay sa mga risks o kinakaharap po nila yung mga possible na kapahamakan,” Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao told reporters during the DSWD’s Thursday Media Forum on November 21.
The appeal aligns with Presidential Decree (PD) No. 1563, also known as the Anti-Mendicancy Law, which prohibits begging and soliciting charitable donations on the streets by individuals or religious organizations.
To prevent mendicant activities, Asst. Secretary Dumlao, the DSWD’s spokesperson, encouraged the public to offer other forms of assistance, such as conducting organized activities through gift-giving, feeding sessions, medical missions, storytelling sessions, and group caroling in coordination with the concerned local government units (LGUs).
“We want to ensure a safe Christmas experience for all children. Hence, the importance of parental or guardian’s supervision on children participating in caroling sessions to ensure they are safe from harm,” the DSWD spokesperson pointed out.
For groups or organizations conducting fundraising activities through caroling, Asst. Secretary Dumlao encouraged them to secure solicitation permits from the DSWD if the scope is region-wide or nationwide.
According to the DSWD official, the permit should be secured from the concerned LGU for fundraising limited within a barangay, city, or municipality.
A solicitation permit is a certification issued by the DSWD and LGUs that give authorization to individuals, groups, and other entities to solicit donations or voluntary contributions for charitable or public welfare purposes to prevent any illegal fund drive that exploits the generosity of the donors and intended beneficiaries.
For more information on the requirements for solicitation permits, the public may access the website of the DSWD Standards Bureau at https://standards.dswd.gov.ph/.
