The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office 7—Central Visayas held an information caravan to increase awareness of sustainable peace and development programs through its Social Marketing Section.

The city’s barangay officials, workers, beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), and community volunteers of the KALAHI-CIDSS PAMANA program attended the caravan at the Guihulngan City Covered Court on October 18, 2024.

The Department implements Executive Order No. 70, Series of 2018, a national framework for attaining inclusive and sustainable peace through the National Task Force for Ending Local Communist and Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

As an NTF-ELCAC member, DSWD leads the poverty reduction, livelihood, and employment sectors to help individuals, families, and communities in conflict-affected and conflict-vulnerable areas address the various risks and vulnerabilities contributing to insurgency.

DSWD implements two tracks: the first track directly provides socio-economic interventions to former rebels as they reintegrate into the community, such as possible inclusion in the 4Ps and Social Pension, provision of cash assistance and psychological interventions, and granting of seed capital funds, among other services.

The SLP falls under this track, which provides former rebels with grants for seed capital funds, skills training, and building livelihood assets. It also includes socio-economic reintegration programs for the Tabara-Paduano Group, now known as the KAPATIRAN, which gives livelihood reinforcement grants and other interventions through the SLP.

The second track is the community resilience program, which addresses community risks and vulnerabilities by delivering services to improve living conditions and protect from armed conflicts.

Under this track, the KALAHI-CIDSS Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) program, which is implemented only in Guihulngan City, provides community sub-projects such as road construction, water systems, and barangay health facilities in the identified conflict-affected and conflict-vulnerable areas.

SLP also gives PAMANA projects to identified beneficiaries in CAAs and CVAs through livelihood settlement grants to embark on entrepreneurial opportunities.

Through the discussion and distribution of information materials, the SMS hopes to increase community awareness of the peace and development programs, which also gathers support to become potential influencers and advocates.

Regional Director Shalaine Marie S. Lucero pointed out in a video message to the participants that info caravans such as this directly engage the community to better understand the Department’s role in social welfare and development.

“The caravan of information sharing is one of the many efforts of the Department to ensure that communities get the correct information and help them make informed decisions and eventually become advocates,” the director said.

Participants also listened to an overview of DSWD’s disaster response programs and services, assistance to individuals in crisis situations, and 4Ps, which the LGU expressed to be discussed with constituents for them to know and understand more about. ###

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