The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), headed by Secretary Rex Gatchalian, received commendations from senators during the Tuesday’s (November 18) plenary hearing on the proposed 2025 budget of the agency, including its attached and supervised agencies.
Senator Loren Legarda praised the DSWD for partnering with the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) to facilitate the distribution of cash assistance to program beneficiaries in all the agency’s regional offices.
“I think that is a good innovation of the good secretary and I hope we see that this will happen in the next few months. We can see that in the next few weeks lalo, lalo na magpapasko na maraming nangangailangan, at tsaka ang daming bagyo na sunod-sunod,” Senator Legarda said.
In the partnership piloted in Region 3 (Central Luzon) and the CALABARZON Region, social workers from the DSWD will handle validation and intake, while the LBP will be responsible for cashiering.
Senator Imee Marcos, who sponsored the DSWD budget, pointed out that the payout system was established due to a lack of personnel and vehicles at certain DSWD Field Offices. Senator Marcos said this shortage places staff members transporting cash to payout locations at significant risk.
At the same time, Senator Legarda commended the DSWD and its staff for implementing the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program, describing it as “incredibly beneficial.”
“I want to commend the DSWD. The people are really hardworking, there is zero corruption for as long as I know, and for those where I attend, I can see there are payout masters,” Senator Legarda said.
Before concluding her interpellation, Senator Legarda thanked Secretary Gatchalian and the agency’s personnel for exemplifying public service.
“I would like to thank Secretary Rex Gatchalian, who is just always a half a call away—he answers the call right away, and if he misses it, he’s on a flight, he will text and call you back,” Senator Legarda said.
“That’s the epitome of a public servant. So, thank you also to all in DSWD, especially the CALABAZON and Western Visayas and everybody in the regions,” the senator added.
Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III also commended the agency and its personnel for their hard work and for working with care and compassion.
“Ito namang DSWD, alam namin kung gaano sila kasipag, gaano ka trustworthy. Nakita ko si Secretary in action sa Marikina, nagkita po kami. Kahit yung mga job order ninyo talagang may malasakit talaga kasi they are not from the areas where they report for work and they spent the whole day there and they were handling hundreds of thousands per head,” Senator Pimentel said.
Before making a motion to submit the proposed budget of the DSWD and its attached agencies for consideration, Senator Joseph Victor Gomez Ejercito stated that Secretary Gatchalian is capable of leading the DSWD.
“I know that the DSWD family is in good hands under Secretary Rex Gatchalian. The Gatchalian brothers are really good. They never cease to amaze us in what they do,” Senator Ejercito said.
Senators Joel Villanueva, Risa Hontiveros, and Christopher Go also gave their full support to the agency’s 2025 budget.
DSWD chief’s brainchild programs cited by Sen. Pimentel
Senate Minority Floor Leader Aquilino Pimentel cited two of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) new programs, saying the results of these initiatives should already be felt after two years of implementation.
The programs are the Pag-Abot Program, which helps families and individuals in street situations (FISS), and the Walang Gutom Program (WGP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, an agency anti-hunger and poverty reduction effort.
“I hope that it [Pag-Abot Program] is really effective and the test of the program is we will no longer see streetkids, street families dahil may nag-aalaga na sa kanila,” Senator Pimentel said after Senator Imee Marcos explained about the program at the Senate Plenary budget hearing on the DSWD’s proposed 2025 budget on Tuesday (November 19).
During an interpellation, Senator Pimentel asked which agency is responsible for assisting street children.
As the sponsor for the DSWD budget, Senator Marcos explained that the DSWD implements the Pag-Abot program.
“Ang Pag-Abot Program ang inilunsad ng DSWD para tugunan ang problema ng street children at street families. Hindi naman kaya ng mga LGUs [local government units] na sagutan ang kanilang mga pangangailangan at pabahay, kaya nagbukod ng Php807
million para sa programa,” Senator Marcos told Senator Pimentel.
Senator Pimentel recognized that the Pag-Abot, which started in 2023, is the brainchild of DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian.
“Noong sumali po si Secretary Gatchalian ay saka lamang po naipatupad ang Pag-Abot Program.
Ang mga LGUs ay nahihirapan at maraming mga pamilya ang nasa kalsada na walang bahay kaya nagkusa na lamang si Secretary Gatchalian at tuloy-tuloy na,” Senator Marcos pointed out.
Senator Marcos said the program components include transitory shelter, livelihood, employment, skills, capability building, and psychosocial.
This 2024, the program has assisted 741 individuals and 1,308 families, according to Senator Marcos.
“Mahigit 100 ang tauhan ng DSWD na walang ginawa kung di ikutan nang ikutan ang mga lansangan. Ang iba pabalilk-balik kaya wala ding tigil ang DSWD sa pagmo-monitor,” Senator Marcos pointed out.
On the WGP, Senator Pimentel said: “We wish you well here. We allotted Php1.89 billion for this initiative. I am interested in the written report… Since may assistance [Php3,000], kahit papaano ay may improvement.”
Senator Marcos noted improvements in the pilot beneficiaries, especially on their eating habits.
Pag-Abot is being implemented in Metro Manila to reach out to people living and staying on the streets and provide them with appropriate interventions and opportunities to improve their social and economic status and fulfill their fundamental rights.
DSWD’s WGP, created through Executive Order No. 44, aims to decrease the incidence of involuntary hunger experienced by Filipinos from low-income households.
Program beneficiaries are provided with electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards loaded with food credits amounting to Php3,000 to purchase a select list of food commodities.
The WGP also promotes behavioral change among food-poor families by teaching them how to prepare nutritious, delicious, and affordable meals.
The WGP aims to feed 1 million food-poor families by 2027.
