“Salamat sa DSWD family na matapat na nagtrabaho”

This was the message of Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rolando D. Bautista during the agency’s 68th anniversary celebration on January 25, wherein he lauded all personnel for their loyalty and  hard work  in serving the poor and vulnerable over the years.

Sec. Bautista enjoined the DSWD family to continue serving with a goal to excel in the delivery of transparent and efficient programs and services for the good of every Filipino.

The Secretary also shared that the President has reorganized and energized the functions of the Department   by  including the Presidential Commission on Urban Poor (PCUP),  the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC),  and the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) under its organizational umbrella.

With the inclusion of the three Commissions under the Department, DSWD shall become an agency that utilizes social cohesion to promote social change and employs a dynamic and holistic approach to problem-solving. 

As he commended the employees for their hard work, particularly the 83 Loyalty Awardees, the Secretary shared the findings of the Social Weather Station’s (SWS) survey conducted in the last quarter of 2018 which is about the significant decline in hunger and self-rated poor families in the country.

He said that all government agencies contributed in achieving such a feat and that DSWD had a big role in attaining this.

The Secretary noted that the dedication of  DSWD personnel is noteworthy, as this 2019 alone, the Department worked tirelessly to respond to the victims of Typhoon Usman even during the holidays.

Taking the SWS significant findings as an inspiration, Sec. Bautista enjoined the employees to work harder towards a transparent, accountable, and efficient public service.

“Para sa Kagawaran ng Kagalingan at Pagpapaunlad Panlipunan, malaking bagay ang mga resulta na aking ibinahagi ngunit hindi ito sapat na dahilan upang magpalubay, at mawalan ng sentro sa ating tungkulin,” the Secretary said. 

As every Filipino has the right to dream and hope for a better future, the Secretary challenged the employees to be united in the service with the end goal of focusing on the empowerment and development of the public that they serve through the excellent  and transparent implementation of programs and services.

The Secretary also exhorted officials and employees to imbibe the theme of the 68th anniversary, “Katuwang sa Pagbabago.”

“Together let us join hands in bridging the gaps and addressing the shortcomings of our present social welfare and development policies, programs and services in the country, and strive earnestly to uplift the lives of  the 11.6 million families who according to the SWS Dec. 16-19, 2018 survey consider themselves poor,” the Secretary ended. ###