Continuous distribution of relief assistance to affected families in Occidental Mindoro

Only two (2) evacuation centers managed by Local Government Unit (LGU) in Occidental Mindoro remain open as temporary housing for 176 families or 824 persons affected by South West Monsoon (Habagat) enhanced by Typhoon ‘Josie’.

At the height of ‘Habagat’, close to 105 evacuation centers were opened to accommodate the affected families.

On the other hand, 78 families or 370 persons are currently staying with their relatives and friends.

Department of Social Welfare and Development MIMAROPA Regional Director Wilma D. Naviamos today said that even the number of evacuation centers decreased the Department is continuously giving disaster assistance to affected families.

“The decrease in opened evacuation centers may be a good sign that affected families are now ready to start anew. We all know that Filipinos are resilient, even how may typhoons and disasters strike us we will recover quickly. But in our part rest assured, that department will not be complacent in providing the necessary assistance to affected families, even they are inside or outside the evacuation centers,” said RD Naviamos.

As of this writing, a total of 250 Family Food Packs are being distributed in the Municipality of Calintaan, Occidental Mindoro.   While 446 Family Food Packs amounting to Php 186, 428.00 were already distributed to Rizal, Paluan, and San Jose Occidental Mindoro.

To date, the Department has recorded a total of 8,817 affected families or 41, 575 affected persons in 92 barangays of OcciMin and OrMin.

DSWD in coordination with Provincial and Municipal Disaster Risk and Management Office and Local Government Unit of Occidental and Oriental Mindoro continuously monitor and validate the affected areas and families in order to provide appropriate assistance for them. ###

Distribution of Family Food Packs (FFPs) in Occidental Mindoro

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) MIMAROPA intensifies the operation of its Quick Response Team (QRT) in responding to the needs of affected families in Occidental and Oriental Mindoro due to Southwest Monsoon or ‘Habagat’ enhanced by Tropical Depression ‘Josie’.

DSWD also maintains its vigilant coordination with LGUs in Occidental and Oriental Mindoro for the provision of relief assistance.

As of July 24, 12 noon, the DSWD has distributed a total of 162 food packs amounting to Php 67, 716.00 in the municipalities of Rizal and Paluan Occidental Mindoro while prepositioned goods in municipalities of Sablayan and Mamburao are scheduled to be distributed today.

As of press time, the Department has recorded a total of 7,165 affected families or 32,812 affected persons in 68 barangays of OcciMin and OrMin.

Of this data, a total of 1,890 families or 8,734 persons are staying in 30 evacuation centers in Occidental Mindoro. On the other hand, 591 families or 2,768 persons are currently staying with their relatives and friends.

DSWD MIMAROPA Regional Director Wilma D. Naviamos assured the preparedness of the Department to provide assistance to affected families in Occidental Mindoro especially after it has been declared in state of calamity.

“The department has always available stockpile of Family Food Packs per SWADT offices of MIMAROPA region and 200 to 300 prepositioned goods per strategic cluster municipality and identified Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Area (GIDA) /critical areas.  So during disaster, assistance can be given immediately to affected families,” said RD Naviamos.

DSWD also converged with the Local Government Unit and other partner-agencies to expedite aid to affected citizens.

“Right now, we are closely coordinating with the LGU for the augmentation of resources and extending aid to affected families due to ‘Habagat’. In fact, as of this moment, there’s an ongoing DSWD relief distribution in Occidental Mindoro,” said RD Naviamos.

Child-friendly spaces were also set up in evacuation centers in Occidental Mindoro to provide games, informal education and other activities for displaced children.

“In times of disaster, we shouldn’t forget the wellness of vulnerable sectors such as children, senior citizens, persons with disabilities and women. The department ensures that friendly spaces are provided for them,” sited RD Naviamos.

RD Naviamos also reminded the public to become vigilant especially the province has been declared in state of calamity due to continuous heavy rains and flash floods.

Four (4) casualties were reported in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro. Of four casualties: two (2) were victims of landslide; one (1) was strucked by a falling tree; and one (1) drowned.  On the other hand, two (2) persons were reported missing in Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro.

“We encourage the public to remain safe. If you were advised to evacuate your place, please do so in order to avoid further casualties.”

To date, there are available stockpile of 33, 470 family food packs in all Social Welfare and Development Team (SWADT) and Regional Warehouses of MIMAROPA.

Also the Regional Office is scheduled to repack additional 1, 366 family food packs to be delivered in affected areas.

Quick Response Team will continue providing reports about the status of affected population and disaster operations.   ###

Pasig City, Metro Manila- Technical Working Group (TWG) who will serve as guide to the Local Government Units on the implementation of Thematic (Community-Driven Development) CDD pilot project are gathered last July 16-17, 2018 at the Linden Suites to discuss how Thematic CDD will be implemented and how the team can fully provide technical support to the LGUs in the implementation of this pilot project.

The Thematic CDD is a new pilot project of DSWD Kalahi CIDSS wherein the LGUs will select a concept based on their development plans in which they will incorporate the process of CDD to the chosen theme that they will implement.

Deputy Regional Program Manager for Kalahi CIDSS Maria Liza Peraren discuss with the TWG the Thematic CDD Concept

Area Coordinators, Municipal Financial Analyst, and Technical Facilitator comprised the TWG. On the two-day activity, the Regional Program Management Office of DSWD Kalahi CIDSS discussed with the TWG the Thematic CDD and their roles in its implementation and the DSWD promotive programs directives.

The TWG discussed the challenges they faced on their previous implementation of Kalahi CIDSS NCDDP and how they can improve/prevent these challenges in the LGUs’ implementation of Thematic CDD. Moreover, the TWG crafted their workplan on the Thematic CDD implementation.

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Oriental Mindoro – A total of 5, 238 beneficiaries of the Social Pension Program for Indigent Senior Citizens (SPIC) from 62 barangays of Calapan City Oriental Mindoro are currently receiving their Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT) grant for the year amounting to P2,400.00.

Overall, some 3 million seniors are expected to receive their UCT grants.

UCT is the tax subsidy provided for under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law to help the poor cushion the adverse economic impact of the law for three years, starting 2018. For this year, beneficiaries will receive P200 per month or P2,400 for one year. In 2019 and 2020, the subsidy will increase to P300 or P3,600 a year.

Aside from the 3 million social pensioners, UCT beneficiaries also include the 4.4 million household-beneficiaries of the DSWD’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the 2.6 million poor households listed under the DSWD National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction or Listahanan.

SPISC is the government’s assistance for poor seniors in the amount of P500 per month to help augment their daily subsistence, including their medical needs. Beneficiaries include indigent seniors who are frail, sickly or with a disability; with no regular income or support from family and relatives; and without pension from private or government institutions.  ###

BROOKE’S, POINT PALAWAN – Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) MIMAROPA, in partnership with Landbank of the Philippines (LBP) and Local Government Unit (LGU) of Brooke’s Point Palawan, implements the Pilot Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT) for Social Pensioners, Saturday, 30 June 2018.

This is in accordance to Section 82 of Republic Act 10963 or the Tax Reform for Accelaration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law to provide cash to poor households and individuals who may not benefit from the lower income tax rates but may be adversely affected by rising process.

From three barangays of Brooke’s Point Palawan, a total of 988 Social Pensioners receive P2,371, 200 UCT cash grant.  277 Social Pensioners are from Poblacion 1; 211 from Poblacion 2; and 505 from Barangay Pangobilian.

“Ang ayudang ibinibigay po namin sa inyo ngayon sa UCT ay mayroon pong kasamang pagmamahal at pagkalinga ng pamahalaan. Kayo po ay kinakalinga at inaaruga namin. Kahit gaano po kalayo ay pupuntahan naming upang mailapit sa inyo ang serbisyo ng gobyerno [The UCT cash grant that we are providing is filled with love and compassion. We will reach the unreached and the isolated in order to closely provide the services of the government],” said DSWD Regional Director Wilma D. Naviamos.

Ten million households/individuals will receive the UCT. Of this figure, three million are indigent senior citizens who are also beneficiaries of DSWD Social Pension Program which is being implemented with the help of local government units (LGUs) and social development offices

 (SDOs). Also included in the 10 million UCT beneficiaries are 4.4 million Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries. The remaining 2.6 million

households will be selected from the Listahanan or National Household Targeting System (NHTS-PR) which will go through validation.

The UCT will be implemented for three (3) years. For 2018, each family will receive P200 per month or a total of P2,400 a year through LBP Cash Cards. This will increase to P300 per month or P3,600 annually for both 2019 and 2020. ###

(L) LGU officials in Buenavista Marindque (R) Marinduque Provincial Government officials.

BOAC- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) MIMAROPA held series of orientation on Data Privacy Act (DPA) as part of the mandatory Listahanan data sharing agreements to local government units (LGUs) in Marinduque.

Listahanan is a government mechanism that identifies who and where the poor are nationwide, where the result of the 2015 nationwide household assessment is available and accessible to social protection stakeholders.

“With the passage of the data privacy act, DSWD established a systematic way of sharing data to safeguard personal and sensitive personal information of households in the Listahanan list,” said Regional Coordinator Ernie H. Jarabejo.

RA 10173 or Data Privacy Act of 2012 protects individual personal information stored in the information and communications systems of government and private sectors. It aims to protect the fundamental human right to privacy while ensuring a free flow of information to promote innovation and growth.

For requests covering personal information e.g. list of names and addresses of Listahanan identified poor, the Memorandum of Agreement between the stakeholder and the DSWD is required, added Jarabejo.

However, for the statistical data request, a Letter to the DSWD enumerating the data needed and its purpose is required.

Also in this act, stakeholders requesting access to the list of poor are required to designate Data Protection Officer who shall plan, implement, and evaluate policies for data privacy and security, Jarabejo concluded.

The DPA orientations were attended by office heads of the Marinduque Provincial Government and Municipal Government of Buenavista.

To date, the local government of Boac has successfully complied with all requirements in the Listahanan data sharing among the six municipalities in Marinduque.

Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro—As a celebration of the 4^th National Community Driven Development month this June, DSWD Kalahi CIDSS MIMAROPA together with the LGU of Sablayan conducted an activity called “Pamumunong Makamasa” this June 26, 2018 in the town of Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro. The activity aimed to show the close coordination of the community and the LGU of Sablayan and to discuss the effectiveness of using the CDD strategy of Kalahi CIDSS in local governance.

Different department heads of Sablayan that constitutes the Municipal-Inter Agency Committee (MIAC) including Mayor Eduardo Gadiano, Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator Muriel Reguinding, Municipal Engineer Alfredo Sarona, Budget Officer Fe Santos and community volunteers of Kalahi CIDSS Barnagay Sub-Project Management Committee (BSPMC) Chairperson Chritian Pedrozo, Project Implementation Team (PIT) head Carmela Marisga, and Brgy. Treasurer Gina Obtinalla participated in the activity.

The MIAC heads coached their community volunteer counterparts on their daily tasks as department heads. Municipal Engineer Sarona oriented PIT head Marisga on the daily tasks of a municipal engineer and taught her tips on how to effectively monitor and finish project implementation. According to Miss Marisga after their coaching session, “Napakahirap pala ng ginagawa ng municipal engineer at mas lalo ko na appreciate yung pag pagiging hands-on nya at pag sangguni sa amin sa tuwing nag paplano sa barangay.”

Hon. Eduardo Gadiano sign his pledge to support the campaign towards institutionalization of the CDD process.

A Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was conducted after the activity wherein they shared the lessons they have learned from their counterparts. Mayor Gadiano shared his thoughts as he said in the discussion “kayang ma institutionalize ang proseso ng CDD sa kahit anong class ng munisipyo kung gugustuhin ng LGU dahil yung proseso ng participative process ay mahalaga para matukoy talaga yung pangangailangan ng isang bayan.” The discussion was proceeded with a signature campaign to adopt and institutionalize CDD on local governance in MIMAROPA.

Community-Driven Development is a strategy used by DSWD Kalahi CIDSS to ensure that the development priorities of a community are addressed in an inclusive, participatory, collective, and demand driven way. This is done through localized decision-making during social preparation activities and in the identification, development, prioritization, establishment, and operationalization of community projects. This strategy aims to empower the community, reduce local poverty, and promote good local governance. It also encourages volunteerism and bayanihan by encouraging people to get involved and work hand-in-hand with their LGUs towards the development of their community.

Through time since its inception, DSWD Kalahi CIDSS MIMAROPA encourages local government units in the MIMAROPA region to adopt/institutionalize the CDD strategy in their governance strategy. The Municipality of Sablayan is one of the first municipalities in the country and the pioneer in MIMAROPA to institutionalize the principles of CDD in their governance and development strategy.

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Banton Romblon—Municipal Inter-Agency Committee Heads, Barangay Officials and workers and community volunteers of DSWD Kalahi CIDSS gathered last June 18, 2018 at the multi-purpose hall of Banton Municipal Hall to conduct the 3^rd Municipal Talakayan. The activity aimed to provide feedback to the community on the development interventions and development needs which were addressed and will be addressed by their Local Government Unit of Banton and the other national government agencies. Pressing community needs such as source of livelihood, water system and health and evacuation centers were some of the needs that arose during the activity discussion. Moreover, the municipality has also raised concerns on the data discrepancies which was also addressed at the later part of the activity.

The Municipal Talakayan started at 8:30 am with preliminaries and opening message from Banton’s Vice Mayor, Hon. Loi Fegalan. During the presentation of the data on the first session of Talakayan—the municipal development status, the participants had a discussion on the definition of makeshift houses. The data showed that there are 147 makeshift houses in the town. The people were confused on what a makeshift house is and how come there are many makeshift houses in Banton. The plenary agreed to review the data after the Talakayan to check the actual number of makeshift houses present. The satisfaction rating of the people in terms of poverty reduction, people empowerment, and local governance was also presented in Session one. The ratings were obtained through survey with different people from different sectors in Banton and the results showed that citizens of Banton have an overall Very satisfactory rating in terms of poverty reduction, people empowerment, and local governance.

More so, the second session about the summary of municipal development priorities, interventions, and gaps was presented by Kalahi CIDSS Monitoring and Evaluation Officer III Crisanto Galay Jr. In this session, Mr. Galay discussed the present and future development interventions being addressed by the LGU and other National Government Agencies like the DSWD. The data showed that most of the needs of the communities in Banton are has been addressed like the need for a more accessible water supply. It was followed by the discussion of the third session– municipal development agenda by Engr. Jerry Fadrilan.

Participants review and discuss the presented data to look for consistencies and growth on the previous Talakayan data presented

After the discussion of the three sessions, the participants were invited over a gallery walk to have a second and closer look at the data presented during the first three sessions. The gallery walk was followed by a Focus Group discussion wherein the participants sat down in three different groups: the MIAC heads, the Barangay Officials and Baragay Sub-Project Management Committee chairpersons, and the Barangay Nutrition Scholars and other citizens living in Banton.

The Municipal Talakayan is an activity of the Local Government Unit in partnership with DSWD Kalahi CIDSS to promote transparency in Local Governance. ###