The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continues to highlight the importance of its social protection programs following the recent findings by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) on the agency’s critical role in responding to the needs of vulnerable Filipino families.
DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said the PIDS findings validate the department’s role as lead agency in the Marcos administration’s delivery of social protection programs for the poor and vulnerable Filipinos.
“The PIDS findings are good news to the DSWD and its Angels in Red Vests. Rest assured that the Department will continue serving the poor, vulnerable and marginalized sectors as directed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr,” Dumlao said in a statement on Wednesday.
In a radio interview on Tuesday, PIDS Senior Research Fellow Dr. Jose Ramon Albert emphasized the value of sustained government interventions, particularly those implemented by the DSWD, in ensuring that assistance remains accessible to Filipinos when they need it most.
“Maganda na ang pamahalaan ay maraming social protection na mga tulong, hindi lang sa mahirap kundi pati yung outside sa mga mahihirap (It is good for the government to have a lot of social protection programs to help the poor and even those outside the poor),” Albert said.
The PIDS official noted that beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) demonstrate lower vulnerability compared to non-beneficiaries, emphasizing the program’s role in strengthening household resilience.
The findings likewise cited the DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program as a crucial intervention in providing timely aid to Filipinos in crisis or with urgent needs.
The PIDS studies align with DSWD’s thrust to implement social welfare programs, recognizing the importance of providing immediate assistance to those in crisis or in a disaster situation.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian has consistently emphasized that development interventions are of equal significance.
In a televised interview on Wednesday, Gatchalian emphasized that social protection programs such as 4Ps and AICS are essential to ensuring inclusive growth and reducing inequality.
“Para makalikha tayo ng isang bansang inclusive, kailangan itong mga programang ito. Mahirap yung lumalaki ang ekonomiya natin pero may naiiwanan. Yung gap between yung may kaya at yung walang kaya, ayaw nating lumaki yun (To have an inclusive country, these programs are needed. It’s hard to have a growing economy but somebody will be left behind. We don’t want the gap between the rich and the poor to widen),” Gatchalian said.
The DSWD chief noted that this aligns with President Marcos Jr.’s directive to continuously narrow the gap between income groups, ensuring that the benefits of economic growth are felt across all sectors, especially the most vulnerable.
“Lumiliit ‘yung gap na yun 15 percent na lang… Ang gusto nga ng ating Pangulo, Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., pag-alis niya dapat single digit na lang. So yun naman ang mandato natin (The poverty incidence is already decreasing, it’s now only 15 percent. President Marcos wants to trim it down to a single digit by the time he leaves, and that’s our mandate),” Gatchalian said. (PNA)
