A social worker of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) facilitates the payout of financial aid to a locally stranded individual during the Hatid Tulong Grand Send Off at Quirino Grandstand.
In continuation of the efforts to address the needs of locally stranded individuals (LSIs) in Metro Manila, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) provided more than P5 million worth of financial assistance to some 2,242 LSIs during the government’s Hatid Tulong Grand Send Off activity on July 4 and 5, 2020 at the Quirino Grandstand.
Hatid Tulong is a transport assistance initiated by different national government agencies to aid LSIs as they return to their respective provinces.
As part of the health and safety protocol, the LSIs underwent rapid testing from the Department of Health (DOH) for the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) before they received travel authorization from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Aside from the cash assistance provided through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), the Department’s Field Offices will also distribute Family Food Packs (FFPs) to the LSIs once they reach their respective hometowns.
The LSIs are also required to undergo a second screening and a mandatory 14-day quarantine to ensure that they are free from COVID-19.
DSWD will continue its coordination with concerned agencies to ensure the provision of assistance to remaining LSIs in Metro Manila. ###
DSWD-10 distributes P3,000 to indigent senior citizens in Iligan City under the Social Pension Program of the Department.
5,996 indigent senior citizens in Iligan City claimed their Social Pension subsidy from the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office 10, yesterday.
The Social Pension is a program under Republic Act No. 9994 or the “Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010” which provides monthly stipend amounting to PHP500 to indigent senior citizens to augment their daily subsistence and other medical needs.
The DSWD continues to work with local government units and Land Bank of the Philippines in finalizing schedules in the conduct of payout under the said program, especially that the indigent senior citizens are in dire need of finances due to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.###
DSWD-10 conducts Social Pension payout for 2,290 indigent senior citizens in Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte.
2,290 indigent senior citizens in Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte received their 6-month subsidy under the Social Pension Program implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office 10. Each indigent senior citizen received P3,000 for their needs such as medicine and food.
Regional Director Mari-Flor Dollaga says that the Department continues to fast track all Social Pension payouts so that the indigent senior citizens can receive the financial assistance which they can use to purchase medicines and food, especially during this time of crisis brought about by COVID-19.
The DSWD-10 currently coordinates with local government units and the Land Bank of the Philippines to finalize schedules of payout that will not also put the beneficiaries at risk from the coronavirus.
As of July 5, 2020, the Department of Social Welfare and Development Office Field Office-10 has disbursed Php20, 023, 103 worth of food and non-food items (FNI) augmentation support to local government units in Region 10 since the imposition of community quarantine measures began, March this year.
A total of 46, 723 family food packs (FFP) have been delivered to LGUs throughout the region to augment LGU food ration efforts. DSWD facilitates the request per LGU and entrusts the distribution of FFPs to them on the ground. Each family food pack contains six canned goods, six coffee sachets, and 6 kilograms of rice.
This is part of DSWD’s role to provide Technical Assistance and Resource Augmentation (TARA) to LGUs such as the distribution of FNIs, especially when their resources are all used up. Aside from LGUs, Returning Oversees Filipinos (ROFs) and Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs) have also been assisted by DSWD through the provision of welfare goods.
DSWD responds to the call to mitigate the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 by tying up with local government units in reaching the grassroots of society during this time of pandemic.
The distribution of FNIs is one of the social amelioration programs under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act (Republic Act No. 11469) in efforts to weather the challenges brought by COVID-19 and recover with resilience.
In continuation of the efforts to address the needs of locally stranded individuals (LSIs) in Metro Manila, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), together with other government agencies, held a Hatid Tulong Grand Send-Off activity on July 4 and 5, 2020 at the Quirino Grandstand.
Hatid Tulong was a transport assistance initiative by different national government agencies to aid LSIs as they return to their respective provinces. More than 2,000 LSIs comprised of students, workers, Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), and local tourists availed of the free transportation assistance.
The first day of the send-off catered to LSIs returning to Mindanao, while the second day assisted stranded locals traveling back to the Visayas and Northern Luzon.
As part of the health and safety protocol, the LSIs underwent rapid testing from the Department of Health (DOH) for the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) before they received a travel authorization from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Meanwhile, DSWD provided financial assistance to the LSIs under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS). DSWD Field Offices will also distribute hot meals or Family Food Packs (FFPs) to the returnees once they reach their hometowns.
The LSIs are also required to undergo a second screening and a mandatory 14-day quarantine in their respective hometowns to ensure that they are free from COVID-19.
DSWD will continue its coordination with concerned agencies to ensure the provision of assistance to LSIs. ###
DSWD-10 continues to repack family food packs in preparation for requests from LGUs needing augmentation from the Department.
To support the local government units (LGUs) in responding to the needs of locally stranded individuals who were stranded in their provinces within Region 10 due to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office 10 (DSWD-10) extended relief augmentation to the LGUs to suffice the much needed relief for the stranded individuals.
As of July 5, 2020, the DSWD-10 extended various relief goods with a valuation total of P539,377.17. The relief goods were composed of rice, canned goods, sachets of coffee, and kitchen utensils. The food support was requested by the LGUs who hosted the stranded individuals while they are waiting for a chance to go to their respective homes.
The relief goods were in response to the requests of the local government units who hosted the locally stranded individuals who cannot travel back to their hometowns because of the travel prohibitions issued by the government to contain the spread of COVID-19.
LSIs that were provided with the relief support were students, families, and returning individuals stranded mostly in Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro City. Per mandate, the DSWD-10 continues to respond to the requests of LGUs who are needing augmentation to support their constituents who are affected by the coronavirus.###
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Assistant Secretary Joseline Niwane (center), DSWD’s representative to the Inter-Agency Task Group Western Mindanao for the Management of the Returning Filipinos (IATGWM-MREFs), and other members of the group inspect the ship that will be used to ferry Filipino transferees from Sabah, Malaysia.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), together with the members of the Inter-Agency Task Group Western Mindanao for the Management of the Returning Filipinos (IATGWM-MREFs), will provide assistance to some 5,300 Filipino transferees from Sabah, Malaysia.
The transfer is being organized after the Malaysian government’s implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19) in their country.
The Filipino transferees from Sabah will arrive in batches to ensure that government health protocol against Covid-19 will be followed. This includes undergoing the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test before being allowed to board the ship and observing the social distancing policy while on board.
DSWD assured that only those who tested negative of the RT-PCR will be allowed to be brought to Tawi-Tawi and Zamboanga City as the main drop-off points.
The Department has already coordinated with the local executives of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi (BASULTA) provinces and the city government of Zamboanga City for the arrival of the Filipino transferees. Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabel Climaco-Salazar chairs the local IATGWM-MREF.
For transferees with registered addresses outside of the main drop-off points, DSWD and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) have also coordinated with concerned local government units (LGUs) to facilitate their transfer and provide appropriate assistance, including referral for proper accommodation or health facilities, when necessary.
The Department will also assess the emotional state of the transferees in terms of their anxiety and stress level using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS)-21 assessment tool. The result of the assessment will be useful to gauge other psycho-social interventions that they need.
Likewise, DSWD, through its Field Office IX, will provide family food packs, sleeping kits, and hygiene kits to all the transferees. The Department has allotted around P39 million to assist them. In addition, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Ministry of Social Services will provide them with financial assistance.
Other members of the inter-agency task force include the DILG, Department of Health-Bureau of Quarantine, Philippine Ports Authority, Department of Transportation-Maritime Industry Authority, Department of National Defense, National Intelligence Coordinating Authority, Armed Forces of the Philippines-Western Mindanao Command, Philippine National Police, Department of Foreign Affairs, Bureau of Immigration, Bureau of Customs, Office of Civil Defense, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Department of Labor and Employment, Philippine Coast Guard, and the BARMM Ministries of Social Services and Development, Interior and Local Government, and Health and Transportation.
All members of the inter-agency task force will prepare a long-term plan for the integration of the transferees in their respective communities. ###
The DSWD Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) has activated the Disaster Response Operation Procedure (DROP) to aid Local Government Units in managing COVID-19 crisis in their locality.
Mayor Omaradji Pizarro of Kalilangan, Bukidnon, expresses his support to KALAHI-CIDSS’ new modality during the MDRRMC meeting/DROP orientation, June 23, 2020
“DROP is a modality adopted by KALAHI-CIDSS whenever there is a disaster so we can respond immediately to the needs of the community,” Project Development Officer IV-Infrastructure, Engr. Abobacar Tocalo, of DSWD Field Office X Regional Program Management Office (RPMO) said.
A total of PHP120-million worth of COVID-19 related response programs will be implemented to eight (8) municipalities in Region 10. Seven (7) of which are from Bukidnon, one (1) from Lanao del Norte.
Province Municipality No. of Barangays Community Grant
Bukidnon San Fernando 24 20,000,000
Bukidnon Quezon 31 20,000,000
Bukidnon Kitaotao 35 19,795,200
Bukidnon Damulog 17 12,769,000
Bukidnon Kibawe 23 12,518,450
Bukidnon Kalilangan 14 15,938,800
Lanao del Norte Pantar 21 9,220,000
Bukidnon Malitbog 11 9,781,200
Total 176 120,022,650
Under DROP, eligible sub-projects related to health and local economic recovery will be financed by KALAHI-CIDSS such as procurement of PPEs and medical equipment, retrofitting of isolation units, repair of water systems, livelihood related activities, etc.
“DSWD will provide the funds, technology and manpower to LGU and barangays in implementing these projects,” Community Development Officer-IV, Roger Alabado, DSWD Field Office X RPMO said.
KALAHI field staff in the (8) municipalities have already finished conducting municipal orientation on DROP, gaining support from Local Chief Executives through the signing of Memorandum of Agreement between the LGU and DSWD. Barangay DRRMC meetings are lined up within the next few weeks for planning and project implementation kick-off.
“We are only given three (3) months to implement the sub-projects so that the benefits will be felt immediately by the community”, added Tocalo.
Maintaining the principles of Community-Driven Development (CDD) approach, KALAHI-CIDSS aims to mobilize the community by giving them control over their (1) decision making, (2) management of resources, and making sure there is (3) sustainability of the project.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s Proclamation No. 929 on March 16, 2020, declaring a State of National Calamity for a period of six (6) months prompted the new modality of KALAHI-CIDSS towards disaster response.
All sub-projects undertaken by the Barangay Local Government Unit (BLGU) are to strictly follow the Department of Health (DOH) standards and protocols, ensuring close coordination with the Municipal Health Officer in the implementation of these community-based projects.
