Truly, the service and commitment of the workers of the Department of Social Welfare knows no bounds.
Upon reaching the remote barangay of Matampay in the municipality of Munai, the first thing that came to my mind was, to commend the efforts of our enumerators, area supervisors and Area Coordinator of this far flung area.

Geographically located at the foot of Camp Bilal, one of the three largest Moro International Liberation Front (MILF) camp in the Philippines, Barangay Matampay is only one of the twenty six remote barangays of Munai.

In this humble barangay, 345 households were assessed and given hope that one day soon , various Agencies will pour out their blessings to their community in the form of programs and services.

For Area Coordinator, Diomedes Dionson, conducting the assessments to the 5,453 households in the municipality of Munai per se, was indeed a challenge for the twelve enumerators and 2 Area Supervisors assigned in the area. “ Though we encountered a lot of challenges during the assessment considering that areas in the municipality of Munai are known to be conflict areas, we really appreciated the efforts of the Local Government Officials headed by Mayor Muammar John Macquiling and the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer , who made sure that the assessment operation in the twenty six barangays turn out smooth. We were even provided with Police and military escorts to ensure the safety of our enumerators . The Barangay Health Workers and Pantawid Pamilya Parent Leaders who served as our guides helped us a lot also in guiding us through the terrains in the area and going with us in travelling from one barangay to another ”.

Noramisa Codaye, one of the active Pantawid Pamilya Parent Leaders of Barangay Pantaon in Munai, was one of the volunteers who guided and took care of the enumerators in Munai. For her , it was a great opportunity to be able to be a part of the significant activity in identifying who and where the poor households are in their municipality as she, has high hopes that one of these days, her fellow residents in Munai would reap and benefit from the fruits of the assessment.

The Second Round Assessment is on its final phase. Most of the field workers assigned in rural areas have been conducting exit conferences and updating the Local officials on the status of the recently conducted household assessments.

The people from the Land of Beauty and Bounty, Lano del Norte, have always been receptive of the efforts of the Department and true to its word, the Department of Social Welfare and Development have earned the trust and commitment of the people through time, to work hand in hand with the Agency and its workers assigned in the area.

This has been so, as the people have witnessed the Department’s initiative to reach out through the various programs and projects from Pantawid Pamilya Pilipinio Program (4Ps), Sustainable Livelihood Program, Supplemental Feeding Program ,among others.

With the Listahanan Second Round Assessment, they have high hopes that there are still a lot more programs
and projects they can look forward to.

Indeed , the assessment was more than just the duty to identify who and where the poor households are . It also involved the efforts of beneficiaries and local officials alike who knew the value beyond the database.

Written by Mitzie S. Santiago,DSWD