The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will continue to prioritize the digitalization of the agency’s frontline services, particularly its regulatory functions, issuance of travel clearance for unaccompanied minors traveling abroad, and case management of centers and residential care facilities (CRCFs).

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian reiterated these priorities during an interview with NewsWatch Plus Senior Anchor Menchu Macapagal on Tuesday (August 6).

“We also have a regulatory function. The regulatory functions are accrediting and getting the permits for what we call social welfare and development agencies, your NGOs, your foundations, your good doers out there,” Secretary Gatchalian said.

The DSWD chief said that the goal of the Department is to  provide an enabling environment for Social Welfare and Development Agencies (SWDAs) and make it easier for these entities to do business with the agency and their clients.

“So we want to put an enabling environment for them to thrive because they’re our forced multipliers to end poverty. It’s a fully digital system that will make our thousands of social welfare and development agencies nationwide just get their permits online as easy as one, two, three. You don’t have to come to our offices anymore,” said Secretary Gatchalian in response to the question of how the agency plans to go full digital on the registration, licensing, and accreditation (RLA) of the SWDAs.

The DSWD chief said the digitalization will be implemented through the Harmonized Electronic License and Permit System (HELPS), which is an online integrated permit system that aims to increase the number of licensed public and private SWDAs.

The HELPS will also provide stakeholders with a smooth application for RLA, public solicitation (PubSol), and duty-exempt importation (DEI) for foreign donated goods, according to Secretary Gatchalian.

Aside from the automation of the agency’s regulatory function, the DSWD chief also mentioned the digitalization in the application and issuance of travel clearance for minors traveling abroad alone.

‘Yung mga kids traveling abroad by themselves. Of course, we have to be careful with the advent of human trafficking. But we also have to take into account the age of solo parents who want to travel with their kid, but they’re earning a living, but they have to go to our office just to get a permit to travel. Tapos sa weekend sarado naman kami,” Secretary Gatchalian said on making it easier for parents, especially working parents, to secure the permit digitally.

Secretary Gatchalian is also keen on implementing a unified electronic case management system through the Integrated Electronic Case Management System (IECMS).

“One of the things that we’re about to launch is the case management system in all the care facilities, shelters run by the government. Why? Because right now, if somebody wants to adopt and they go to the National Authority on Child Care (NACC), our attached agency, there has to be a central depository of all the available cases out there who are due for matching already. That’s the power of automation that we’re doing. Bawal na dapat yung mano-mano na tatawag ka pa doon,” Secretary Gatchalian explained.

With the system, the DSWD chief said social workers can just pull out the case file of a child which the NACC can look at.

Secretary Gatchalian said the DSWD will continue to adopt innovative and transformative approaches to better serve the Filipino people through ease of social welfare. #