The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) today clarified its functions and role in efforts to assist residents of Boracay island affected by the six-month closure that began on April 26. They are as follows:
- Provide immediate social welfare assistance to affected individuals and families;
- Conduct social case management of individuals and their communities for community-based development programs; and
- Facilitate the rehabilitation of affected individuals, families, and communities through the implementation of social development programs.
DSWD Officer-in-Charge Emmanuel A. Leyco said that the DSWD through its Field Office VI and DSWD Aklan team continue to monitor the situation in Boracay and the welfare of the residents and workers from both the formal and informal sectors who have chosen to stay despite the closure.
He said that the DSWD is working with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to provide livelihood and income opportunities for families and individuals whose jobs and means of livelihood have been seriously affected by the closure.
“The DSWD has funds to assist the people of Boracay, and we are constantly determining the best processes and ways to utilize them through our existing programs so they can benefit the most number of people. We are aware of the severity of the impact on many households in Boracay,” he said.
“We are in constant communication and coordination with other agencies such as the DOLE so we can address the problem of sudden joblessness and disappearance of livelihood opportunities and means of income among the residents. We are consulting with employers and Human Resource officers of the different resorts and businesses based in Boracay so we can see what more we can do to help the displaced workers and those whose livelihood dried up when the island’s tourism industry shut down,” he said.
The DSWD official said that the agency continues to help non-Boracay residents who have opted to stay; informal workers, those who are not employed as regular employees; beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program; and poor households identified in the database of the National Household Targeting System, and other vulnerable sectors.
“We understand that the focus of the DOLE is to assist those who previously had regular employment prior to the island’s closure. On the other hand, the local government unit will be giving priority to Boracay and Malay residents. This doesn’t mean, however, that the DSWD will turn away people when they come to us for assistance. We will help them with the programs and services we have as much as we are able to, or refer them to the other agencies,” he said.
“We are also modifying the guidelines of our programs to make them easier and faster for residents to access. Residents are undergoing an unusual situation at the moment, and it necessitates some adjustments on the part of the services we provide. We are, for instance, relaxing the conditionalities of the 4Ps program to help the beneficiary-households.”
The DSWD official has previously announced that it is providing cash for work and opening its Sustainable Livelihood Program and regular programs and services for the residents of Boracay. He has also said that it is prepared to release family food packs to households whose main income-earners have lost their livelihood and are finding it difficult to find alternative means of income in the meantime.
Cash for work is the provision of cash in exchange of work rendered. It is a short-term employment for those who are affected by crisis, calamities, whether natural or man-made.
The SLP, on the other hand, has two tracks – namely micro-enterprise development and employment generation. The first track provides seed capital, while the other consists of the provision of livelihood trainings and starter kits. The DSWD then monitors the livelihood initiatives among residents. Residents can also make use of the DSWD’s regular programs such as the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS). These consist of medical, transportation, educational and burial assistance. #
