On the heels of Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 9 comes MC No. 11.

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo today issued MC 11 titled “DSWD Off-Site Serbisyo: Special Guidelines on Off-Site Release or Provision of Services to Beneficiaries of DSWD Protective Services Program (PSP).

In MC 11, the DSWD policy of releasing funds or providing assistance to beneficiaries under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) component of the PSP within the DSWD offices or premises is reiterated.

“Because the department considers issues of convenience   when it comes to the beneficiaries’ access to the said services — as well as the need to ensure  a safe, orderly, and cost-efficient implementation of the PSP – a mechanism will be implemented and called “DSWD Off-Site Serbisyo,” said Sec. Taguiwalo.

DSWD Off-Site Serbisyo refers to off-site release or provision of assistance to DSWD pre-qualified beneficiaries outside DSWD offices or premises resorted to for convenience of the beneficiaries. These include cash for work projects; educational assistance; and, cash or guarantee letters for medical and burial assistance to PSP beneficiaries.

The beneficiaries of the program are individuals who are indigent, vulnerable, disadvantaged  or those in the informal sector, and other sectors who are in crisis situation based on assessment of the social workers of the Crisis Intervention Unit (CIU) of DSWD Central Office (CO) and Field Offices, Social Welfare and Development (SWAD) Teams and/or DSWD satellite offices.

In the meantime, the term “DSWD Offices” refers to the DSWD Central Office, regional offices, SWAD satellite offices and other offices where DSWD social workers and/or personnel habitually hold office in the performance of their regular functions.

These Special Guidelines are being issued pursuant to DSWD MC 9, S. 2016 or the Supplement Guidelines on the Implementation of PSP, specifically Section V.2 clarifying when and how release of the AICs may be made outside DSWD offices or premises.

“We have to make it clear that off-site release will be resorted to only when it’s seen that on-site payment or release results or tends to result to inconvenience to beneficiaries or that it is impractical or not cost-efficient. We are issuing these guidelines in response to concerns that it will not always be easy for our beneficiaries to go to the DSWD Field Offices. We want to make the process of accessing DSWD PSP services as easy and as convenient as possible for our beneficiaries,” said Sec. Taguiwalo.

The Off-Site Serbisyo locations will be determined by the regional directors or their duly authorized representatives in their respective jurisdictions and will include any of the following: public schools, barangay halls, day care centers, multi-purpose halls and covered courts. The venues will put primary consideration to the safety and well-being of the beneficiaries and DSWD service providers.

The DSWD field directors will submit to the Secretary the list of DSWD Off-Site Serbisyo locations in their jurisdictions together with corresponding areas that the locations in the list will cater to. The list can be modified or updated as the need arises.

Sec. Taguiwalo explained that the guidelines cover off-site releases of the AICS component of the PSP funds as provided or may be provided under the General Appropriations Act (GAA). All other aspects of the PSP shall remain in force, pursuant to DSWD MC No. 04. S. 2015, as amended by the DSWD MC 16, S. 2015.

Similarly the implementation guidelines of the AICS in the PSP will continue to follow Section 7.1 of DSWD MC 04, S. 2015.###