Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian underscored the vital role of social workers in the country during the Secretary’s dialogue with social work students from different academic institutions held through a hybrid setup on Tuesday (December 12) at the DSWD Central Office in Quezon City.

The DSWD Secretary cited the COVID-19 pandemic as the best example to illustrate the significant role of social workers in protecting the welfare and well-being of Filipinos.

“They had to keep going out kasi iba-iba ang mga ayudang binibigay. Mayroon food boxes, mayroon cash subsidy. And on top of that, kahit nangyayari lahat iyon, kailangan pa rin nilang gawin ang psychosocial interventions during those times dahil very in demand ang mental health, taking care of the mental health of overall constituents,” Secretary Gatchalian explained.

(They had to keep going out because different types of assistance were being provided. There were food boxes, there was a cash subsidy. And on top of that, even with all of that happening, they still needed to conduct psychosocial interventions during those times because mental health was very in demand, taking care of the mental health of all constituents.)

Secretary Gatchalian described social work as the ‘hardest profession there is’ as he witnessed the sacrifices of the social workers in his nine-year experience as mayor of Valenzuela City.

“They were getting battered emotionally kapag napasasasalitaan nang hindi maganda ng mga kliyente,” the DSWD chief pointed out.

(They were getting emotionally battered when spoken to in a negative manner by clients.)

Noting the challenges being faced by the social workers, Secretary Gatchalian expressed gratitude to the social work students for persevering and pursuing the social profession despite the many obstacles that they may encounter in the field.

“Sa social work kasi anything goes. You can find yourself in war zones, conflict areas. You can find yourselves in school. You can find yourselves in care facilities. You can find yourselves everywhere… That’s what makes it both exciting and challenging,” the DSWD chief pointed out.

Secretary Gatchalian encouraged the students to finish their collegiate course on social work and get their licenses so they can contribute to social protection and nation-building.

“This country needs more social workers. This country needs social workers or people with hearts like yourselves… The social workers here are the people with the biggest heart,” the Secretary said.

“May you, yourselves, continue to serve as an inspiration for younger people to pursue the noble vocation of social work,” the DSWD chief added.

Secretary Gatchalian also shared that the agency is also doing its part to provide social workers with more incentives and learning and development opportunities.

“There are things that we will start introducing next year to make it even more attractive. We have to entice more people to join the workforce,” the DSWD chief said.

Around 550 social work students and faculty members from different universities and colleges across the country joined the dialogue with the Secretary through the virtual platform.

The event was conducted to encourage and motivate these students to pursue and finish the social work course and appreciate the profession’s profound impact on the social welfare and development of the country.

Part of the dialogue was the discussion sessions with former Civil Service Commission Chairperson Alicia Bala; St. Mary’s College – Quezon City Dean, Dr. Imee Macaraig; Social Work Program Chair and Office of Gender Concerns Director of the University of the Philippines Open University, Dr. Finaflor Taylan; Social Work Department Dean of the University of Cebu, Dr. Khalachuchi S. Flores-Caballes, RSW, LPT, Ed.D.; and Assistant Manager and Stakeholder Engagement of the Sustainability and Development Unit of the International Container Terminal Services, Inc., Mr. Cleo Angelo DF. Guevara.

Also present in the dialogue were DSWD Undersecretary for Standards and Capacity Building Group Denise FB. Bernos-Bragas, MD; Assistant Secretary for Standards and Capacity Building Group Janet Armas; and Social Welfare Institutional Development Bureau (SWIDB) Director Atty. Justin Caesar Anthony D. Batocabe. #