CEBU CITY: The provincial government will allocate PHP3 million to each of the 50 local government units (LGUs) in Cebu to establish their respective social welfare and development centers.
Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said the centers, to be manned by town social workers, will be the central hub for the promotion of programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) at the LGU level.
‘In this No. 1 province of Cebu, there will now be a social welfare and development center in every city and every town in the entire province of Cebu,’ the governor said in her speech during the meeting with mayors at the capitol social hall on Wednesday.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, who attended the event to spearhead the agency’s information caravan in introducing flagship programs such as the Walang Gutom: Food Stamp Program, Pag-abot Program, and Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program in Cebu, commended the governor for the initiative.
At the capitol, Gatchalian also lauded the capitol’s QR code system in distribu
ting their assistance to the people and pledged to replicate it in distributing the agency’s various assistance nationwide.
‘QR Code to dispense social welfare (assistance) is not only graft-free, its efficient, and empowering to the people with disability and the vulnerable sector,’ Gatchalian said.
Garcia signed some agreements with DSWD, including the deed of usufruct covering a two-story Capitol facility in the City of Naga which will be repurposed to become the country’s first Regional Rehabilitation Center for the Youth (RRCY) exclusively for female children in conflict with the law.
Garcia and DSWD-7 regional director Shalaine Marie Lucero also signed an agreement for the distribution of the Individuals and Families in Crisis Situation (AICS) funds to over 11,000 beneficiaries identified by the agency through the Capitol’s tried and tested QR-coded system.
Gatchalian turned over PHP40 million for AICS program for the poor residents in the province.
Source: Philippines News Agency
