Recognizing the importance of the three-year strategic goals of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in improving the plight of  poor Filipinos, Information Officers from the different local government units  (LGU)  and  national government agencies (NGAs) in Western Visayas  expressed their full support for these.

The information officers were recently invited by DSWD-Field Office VI for an orientation on the Department’s Strategic Goals and capability building workshop.

The information officers are vital partners of DSWD in its promotions and advocacy activities.

DSWD-Social Marketing Services (SMS) Director Joel Espejo gave the orientation on the Strategic Goals.

“The vision of the DSWD by 2016 deserves the full support of all sectors in the society. DSWD can expect my support,” said Evangeline Nunal, Graft Investigation Officer of the Office of the Ombudsman in Western Visayas.

For Emmanuel Barcelona of Antique Provincial Information Office, he said that knowing the strategic goals of the Department brought him the renewed enthusiasm to document, interview, and write about beneficiaries of  the Department’s programs such as Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, and Social Pension.

DSWD has three strategic goals:  to raise 2.3 million Pantawid Pamilya  families with improved level of well-being  by 2016;  to increase the number of Listahanan or National Household  Targeting System for Poverty-Reduction  identified poor families covered by at least two social welfare and development programs/services from 3.9 to 5.2  million families; and, to increase the number of provinces with majority of their municipalities/cities having a fully-functioning local social welfare and development  offices  to 40 provinces.

Training

Aside from the orientation on strategic goals, the Information Officers were also trained on video documentation and feature writing to equip them in their task of documenting and advocating  DSWD programs and projects particularly along best practices.

Resource persons were Edward Gonzales of DSWD Social Marketing Service and Philippines News Agency (PNA) Bureau Chief Annabel Petinglay.

In response, the  information officers  also vowed to use the video and feature writing learning as medium to communicate gains of government programs and services.

“We will apply our new skills and knowledge in promoting programs of the government,” said Deodelyn Macaloa of Oton, Iloilo.

Mary Lou Gabinete, on the other hand, said, “I am confident that I can perform much better than the way I used to be. The public should know everything because the Filipinos are our boss. ###