The government has adjusted its anti-poverty program to focus on street dwellers who are among the most in need through an executive order that institutionalizes and improves the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Oplan Pag-abot (Outreach).

In a statement on Saturday, the Presidential Communications Office said Executive Order 52 was issued last Thursday to help impoverished and vulnerable Filipinos leave the streets and become productive members of society.

The EO establishes an interagency committee composed of the heads of the agriculture, trade, labor, health, budget, and education departments.

The committee chairperson and vice chairperson are the secretaries of the DSWD and the Department of the Interior and Local Government, respectively.

“The Pag-abot program is hereby institutionalized as a platform for an enhanced and unified delivery of services to vulnerable and disadvantaged children, individuals, and families in street situations through the provision of social safety nets and protection against risks brought about by poverty,” the EO read.

“It is imperative to institutionalize the program to ensure the effective delivery of services towards addressing poverty and social and economic inequality in the country,” it added.

The Pag-abot program comprises cash support, livelihood assistance, employment assistance, transportation and relocation assistance, and assistance with temporary housing.

Other relevant forms of assistance are allowed under the EO if they are “consistent with the mandates of the government agencies concerned” and applicable laws and regulations.

After ocular visits, beneficiary profiling, service delivery, monitoring, and follow-up are the last phases in delivering assistance under the anti-poverty program.

Marcos tasked the inter-agency committee with creating a digital monitoring system, including a database of individual, family, and community beneficiaries and a monitoring framework.

The DSWD would determine the funds and the additional staff needed.

“We at the DSWD are pleased to be the lead agency of this program to ensure the effective delivery of services to disadvantaged and vulnerable individuals living in the streets,” said Social Welfare Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications Romel Lopez, the agency’s spokesperson.

“We also thank President Marcos for recognizing the significance of this initiative pioneered by Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian by institutionalizing it through EO 52,” Lopez said.

“The DSWD is ready to undertake the necessary steps for the expansion and institutionalization of the reach-out operations for children, individuals, and families who are living in the streets,” he added.

More than 6.5M aided

Over 6.5 million Filipinos facing difficult circumstances were aided by the DSWD through its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program from January to December 2023.

Lopez said on Saturday that the number of clients served under the AICS was more than four times the program’s annual target of 1,691,869 beneficiaries.

“It is evident that many of our kababayan need support from the government, and we at the DSWD remain committed to responding to their immediate needs through the AICS program,” he said.

He added that most beneficiaries were from the Calabarzon region, with more than 870,000  individuals.

“Under the AICS program, beneficiaries were provided with different interventions, including medical, food cash, burial/funeral,  and transportation assistance, as well as psychosocial support, among others,” Lopez said.

He added that more than 314,700 individuals received services at the different Malasakit Centers nationwide.

The Malasakit Center is a one-stop shop located in various hospitals of the Department of Health, the Philippine General Hospital, and other public hospitals nationwide where needy patients, as well as those who are currently financially incapacitated, can access medical and financial assistance from various government agencies such as the DSWD, PhilHealth, and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, among others.

The DSWD spokesperson reiterated that the agency vows to continue to implement the protective services so that Filipinos in need will be assisted as envisioned by the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.