With the strengthened implementation of Oplan Pag-Abot in December 2023, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) was able to reach out to more than 1,700 individuals in street situations, Asst. Secretary for Legislative Affairs Irene Dumlao said on Wednesday (January 3).

Asst. Sec. Dumlao, who is also the agency’s co-spokesperson, said the intensified reach-out efforts for families and individuals in street situations (FISS) last December 2023 has increased the number of clients served under the agency’s Oplan Pag-Abot.

“We are pleased to witness the tremendous impact of ‘Pag-Abot sa Pasko’ which was launched with the mission of spreading joy and warmth during the holiday season,” Asst. Sec. Dumlao said.

The DSWD official said some 836 individuals in street situations were reached out to during the one-month roll-out of ‘Pag-Abot sa Pasko’, doubling the total number of served clients since the Oplan pag-Abot was launched in June 2023.

This brings to a total of 1,772 individuals, including children, adults, senior citizens, persons with disability, and Indigenous Peoples, among others, who were reached out by the DSWD and provided with necessary interventions since the program launch, according to Asst. Sec. Dumlao.

“The ‘Pag-Abot sa Pasko’ is a Metro Manila-wide program of the DSWD that aims to extend assistance to the marginalized sectors of society, ensuring that no one is left behind during the yuletide season,”  the DSWD co-spokesperson said.

Asst. Sec. Dumlao reiterated that reached-out individuals and families are provided with various services such as the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS)  and Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-Asa Program (BP2), while others have been referred to DSWD-run Centers and Residential Care Facilities (CRCFs) for temporary shelter.

Among the partners of the DSWD in the program implementation are the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and the concerned local government units (LGUs).

Oplan Pag-Abot is among the flagship programs of the DSWD, under the leadership of Secretary Rex Gatchalian, to help and support individuals and families living on the streets by providing them with the proper interventions. #