The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), through its field offices (FO), signed regional memorandums of understandings and agreements (RMOU/A) with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) to ensure food supplies in jail facilities.
“As the chair of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger (IATF-ZH) and the lead of the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP) Program, the DSWD recognizes the importance of a whole-of-government approach in ensuring food security among vulnerable sectors, including Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL),” DSWD Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Irene Dumlao said.
On February 3, DSWD Northern Mindanao Regional Director Ramel Jamen signed an agreement with BJMP Regional Director JCSUPT Cesar Langawin. From 2022 to 2024, other DSWD FOs inked similar partnerships with the BJMP and other member agencies of the EPAHP.
“At present, we have 15 FOs that have a MOA or MOU with the regional counterparts of BJMP,” Dumlao said.
In the signed memorandums, the DSWD, through the EPAHP-Regional Management Offices, will lead the Regional Convergence Teams in coordinating and rationalizing the efforts of concerned government agencies and instrumentalities to ensure a whole-of-government approach to attaining zero hunger in the region.
The agency will also monitor and evaluate the government’s progress in ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture.
For their part, BJMP’s respective regional offices agreed to establish partnerships with EPAHP-accredited community-based organizations (CBOs) offering agricultural products necessary for preparing meals for PDLs and guidelines on properly implementing the EPAHP Program.