DSWD: We will be 'color blind' in providing assistance

MANILA, Philippines (Philippines News Agency) — Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Judy Taguiwalo said on Sunday that the agency would be “color blind” when it comes to helping the needy and the poor as instructed by President Rodrigo Duterte.

 

“We must help all Filipinos who come to us for help — regardless of their political affiliations or persuasions. The relief goods we distribute come from taxpayers — we have to give them to those in need as soon as possible," said Taguiwalo.

 

In line with this, she assured the public that they would work hard to give out the emergency shelter assistance (ESA) that calamity-affected families are entitled to.

 

She said that the ESA would be given not months or years later but immediately.

 

"We are also duty-bound to use all funds and resources for the purpose they are intended: assist the needy; improve lives; strengthen communities," she said after doing rounds in the northern Philippines provinces severely affected by Typhoon Lawin to see for herself "the effects in the ground level."

 

She was accompanied by other officials of the DSWD to prove that they are there and can be felt by the affected people as they turn over the DSWD's and the national government’s augmentation support to local government units (LGUs) in the form of family food packs (FFPs).

 

Among the areas that they visited were Tuguegarao City, Peñablanca and Enrile towns in Cagayan, and Ilagan City, Maconacon and Divilacan in Isabela.

 

“We are constantly coordinating with officials of the LGUs on our relief efforts, and at the same time we are also determining the depth and extent of the poverty of Filipinos who live in the provinces. What we are discovering affirms the truth that the Philippines is far from being developed, and that so much needs to be done by way of comprehensive economic and social reforms to address the poverty of millions,” she said.

 

“We also see that people are in serious need of support in the form of social services — they need more public hospitals, more schools, better roads, increased access to government services,” Taguiwalo said.

 

She cited also the importance of providing immediate relief to Filipinos affected by the two recent typhoons "Karen" and "Lawin."

 

"The sooner that actions are done to see the situation on the ground and to address the immediate needs of those affected, the better the chances that those affected will recover," she said.

 

In her visit to the northern Philippines, Taguiwalo said she was also able to see more clearly the necessity to implement programs that would provide people with steady livelihood opportunities.

 

According to her, the DSWD would strengthen its programs to help the poor gain employment and means of livelihood through the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).

 

She also noted that communities could also unite to push for infrastructure projects through the empowerment program of the DSWD — the Kapig-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) scheme.

 

Meanwhile, she also instructed the DSWD's Disaster Response Assistance and Management Bureau (DReAMB) to form a team to augment the distribution of supplies for the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) because there have been landslides causing casualties there, particularly in Kalinga and Apayao. — Leilani S. Junio