Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian was elated with the recognition of the agency’s programs and services by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr in his 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday (July 28).
“Here at the Department of Social Welfare and Development, we are happy because the President has once again shown his appreciation for our countrymen, especially the poor,” Gatchalian said in a statement.
Gatchalian vowed to strengthen the DSWD’s public service delivery and implementation of the anti-poverty and anti-hunger flagship programs in line with the vision of President Marcos to uplift the lot of the poor and achieve a zero hunger society.
In his SONA, President Marcos, Jr. cited the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty by helping poor Filipino families achieve a better life.
The President said in the last three years, almost 1.5 million poor families have achieved self-sufficiency and already exited from the program.
Gatchalian said the DSWD is grateful for the Chief Executive’s recognition of 4Ps and vowed to ramp up the program to ensure that this remains responsive and leads to more Filipino families breaking free from poverty.
Aside from the 4Ps, the President also mentioned the Walang Gutom Program (WGP) in his SONA, setting the program’s future direction as a flagship program of the government in addressing hunger and the nutrition needs of food-poor households.
In line with the vision of the President, the DSWD will ensure that in 2028, there will be no more Filipino families experiencing hunger, according to Gatchalian.
Another innovative program of the DSWD, which was noted by the President, was the Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program.
Now on its third year of implementation, the Tara, Basa! is DSWD’s reformatted educational assistance program, in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd), which gives cash-for-work (CFW) to college students for rendering tutorial and learning sessions.
The ‘Tara Basa!’ was declared a flagship program by the President through Executive Order 76 signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Nov. 22, 2024.
A unique and revolutionary concept, the Tara, Basa! harnesses the youth’s potential as nation builders, using them as catalysts in addressing illiteracy issues in the country.
The DSWD chief also expressed gratitude to President Marcos for recognizing the role of the Tara, Basa! youth volunteers, tutors and development workers which is a clear affirmation of the program’s impact.
Under the program, the Department will also amplify parenting sessions to empower the mothers and fathers to be their children’s first teachers in their households.
With these future undertakings as directed by the President in his SONA, the DSWD is further reinvigorated and excited to fulfill its mandate of serving the Filipino public.
Gatchalian also emphasized the efforts of the Marcos administration in human capital investment.
“SONA gives us the platform to discuss the President’s programs and initiatives. For DSWD, I spoke about the massive investments PBBM has been making in our people or human capital. These investments, like enhancements to the 4Ps and Walang Gutom Program, aim to unlock the max potential of our people,” the DSWD chief said.
