QUEZON CITY -- DSWD Secretary Rolando Joselito Bautista reports to the people on the accomplishments of the Human Development and Poverty Reduction Cluster under the Duterte administration during the Duterte Legacy Summit on May 30 at the PICC in Pasay City.
As part of the final report of the Human Development and Poverty Reduction Cluster (HDPRC) during the Duterte Legacy Summit on May 30-31, Cluster Chair and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rolando Joselito Bautista shared the major contributions of the Department to the accomplishments of the current administration on social development.
With a myriad of success stories and milestones of the Duterte Administration, the final report of the HDRPC presented by Secretary Bautista included some initiatives of DSWD which supplemented the gains of the cluster in improving the quality of life of Filipinos.
In his speech, the Secretary also emphasized that all 37 member-agencies of the HDPRC have adhered to the directive of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to serve the people with compassion geared toward promoting positive social change.
“Malasakit or compassion shall prevail and guide us in crafting policies and programs for the benefit of the Filipino people,” the HDPRC Chair said.
Spearheaded by the Presidential Communications Operations Office, the Duterte Legacy Summit was the culmination activity of the Duterte Legacy Caravan which aimed to showcase a summary of the outgoing administration’s achievements.
Alleviating poverty in the country
Following President Duterte’s zero-to-ten point socioeconomic agenda, the DSWD has achieved many triumphs in alleviating poverty through its major strategies along with social protection.
One of the major contributors to this is the institutionalization of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the DSWD through the passage of Republic Act No. 11310 or the 4Ps Act. Since President Duterte signed the law in 2019, the program was expanded with yearly budget allocation.
“This resulted to around 830,000 self-sufficient households who are ready to exit from the program,” Secretary Bautista shared.
Easing the socio-economic effects of the pandemic
With the threats brought about by the pandemic, the Department has strengthened its efforts to reach out to the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized sectors and intensified its programs and services to help ease the underlying effects of the continuing crisis on the Filipinos.
Considered a pandemic landmark, the DSWD has implemented the largest social amelioration program in the history of the country through the Bayanihan Laws. Based on the report of the Secretary, around 23 million families were supported with 195.4 billion pesos worth of assistance.
“These endeavors have guaranteed that no one will be left behind, especially those who have been hit by unemployment due to the unprecedented pandemic,” the Secretary said.
DSWD’s commitment to Duterte Legacy
“While the administration’s term ends on 30 of June, I am confident that the Duterte legacy shall live on through the millions of lives it has touched and transformed,” Secretary Bautista said.
The Department, as a member agency, will stick to the HDRPC’s mandate which is to translate the gains of good governance into means of improving the Filipino's well-being through continual investment and building of opportunities in education, health, social protection, gender equality, and poverty reduction.
The DSWD vows to extend social protection packages and support to its target sectors geared toward making every Filipino well-fed, educated, healthy, secure, disciplined, and empowered, as envisioned by President Duterte. (DSWD)
