The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is set to roll out expanded social welfare initiatives and new development programs this year after its budget increased by 22.5 percent to P264.45 billion, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said Monday.

During a Palace briefing, Gatchalian said the department’s budget rose from P215.8 billion last year, allowing the agency to scale up services in social protection, development, and disaster response.

For social welfare, P63.9 billion was allocated for protective services, including the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program. 

Under AICS, qualified beneficiaries receive financial assistance for transportation, medical expenses, burial, food, and other urgent needs.

The DSWD also increased funding for its supplemental feeding program for daycare learners to P9.56 billion, extending feeding days from 120 to 180 days.

Funding for the social pension program rose to P51.8 billion, enabling the inclusion of an additional 500,000 senior citizens who were previously on the waiting list.

On development programs, Gatchalian said the Social Technology Development Bureau received P79.6 million, with P75 million earmarked for new initiatives. These include Project Aruga for families with members who have disabilities; Project SAFE, which focuses on preventing online sexual exploitation through education; and ProtecTEEN, a program aimed at reintegrating teenage mothers into their communities.

An additional P216 million was allocated for licensing, accreditation, and monitoring services, with P204 million set aside to support non-government organizations that operate care facilities for victims of abuse and exploitation. Gatchalian said partnering with existing NGOs is a faster and more cost-effective approach than building new government-run facilities.

For disaster response, the DSWD’s quick response fund was increased by P1.75 billion, bringing the total to P3 billion to improve the agency’s ability to respond to successive calamities.

The department also received P500 million for the initial phase of the Mindanao Disaster Resource Center in Butuan City, a multi-year project with a total estimated cost of P1.5 billion. 

The facility is envisioned as a repacking center to speed up disaster response in Mindanao.

In addition, funding was increased for protective services to support the construction of a regional Bahay Pag-asa for juvenile offenders, another multi-year project with an initial allocation of P275 million.