More than 439,000 individuals and families have availed of social protection in 2024 through the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) innovative programs.
“This figure reflects our commitment to delivering inclusive and innovative social welfare services and enhancing the quality of life for Filipinos, especially among the most vulnerable sectors of society,” Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao, who is also the DSWD’s spokesperson, said on Tuesday (January 31).
Launched in 2023 and declared as one of the flagship programs of the national government through Executive Order 76 in November 2024, the Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program continues to increase the involvement of poor college students enrolled in state or local universities and colleges in nation-building, while helping them in completing their tertiary education through cash-for-work (CFW).
“Apart from poor college students, the Tara, Basa! program also assists incoming Grade 2 students who are struggling or non-readers, including their parents and guardians,” the DSWD spokesperson pointed out.
In its second year, the Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program has provided CFW to 10,608 college students who rendered tutoring and parenting sessions and 61,805 parents and guardians of struggling or non-readers elementary students who attended the “Nanay-Tatay Teacher” sessions.
A total of 62,418 grade school students benefitted from the series of tutorial sessions.
Walang Gutom Program
Asst. Secretary Dumlao said the DSWD continues to provide Php3,000 monthly monetary assistance worth of non-cash-convertible food credits, through the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, to Walang Gutom Program (WGP) household- beneficiaries.
The DSWD’s WGP, created through Executive Order No. 44, aims to bring down the incidence of involuntary hunger experienced by Filipinos from low-income households.
The WGP also promotes social and behavioral change among food-poor families by teaching them how to prepare nutritious, delicious, and affordable meals.
“As of December 16, we are happy to announce that we have reached the 300,000 target households for 2024. We aim to add 300,000 beneficiaries in 2025 and 150,000 in 2026 to achieve our one million target beneficiaries by 2027,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao said.
Pag-Abot Program
Another innovative intervention of the DSWD is the Pag-Abot Program which aims to reach out families, children, and individuals in street situations.
Like the Tara! Basa and the WGP, the Pag-Abot Program was also institutionalized through Executive Order (EO) No. 52.
“As of December 27, our Pag-Abot Program team has reached out 2,696 families, 818 children, and 804 individuals in street situations,” the DSWD spokesperson said.
According to Asst. Secretary Dumlao, the Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program, WGP, and Pag-Abot Program were pioneered by DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian.
“The DSWD, through the leadership of Secretary Gatchalian, will remain steadfast in its mission to provide compassionate and responsive service, pledging to scale up these initiatives in 2025 to reach even more Filipinos,” the DSWD spokesperson said.# (YADP)
