DSWD calls on Filipinos to celebrate Nat’l Family Week

The National Committee on the Filipino Family (NCFF) chaired by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Monday urged all families nationwide to join various activities to celebrate National Family Week (NFW) slated September 23-29. (Photo: Department of Social Welfare and Development/Facebook)

MANILA — The National Committee on the Filipino Family (NCFF) chaired by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Monday urged all families nationwide to join various activities to celebrate National Family Week (NFW) slated September 23-29.

The call was made as the country marks 25 years of commemorating NFW every last week of September, as mandated by Proclamation No. 60, signed by former President Fidel V. Ramos on September 28, 1992.

This year’s theme is “Tungo sa Maginhawa, Matatag, at Panatag na Pamilyang Pilipino”, which envisions better initiatives to strengthen the Filipino family in the new generation.

As a fitting start for the 25th year of the event, a short kick-off program will be Tuesday to be followed by an “Interfaith Program with Families” to be hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an active member of the NCFF.

The interfaith activity is an opportunity for families and family advocates from the different faith to come together and discuss family related issues which they have experienced throughout the years. Representatives from the Christian community, as well as the Muslim faith, will offer a prayer for all families.

Apart from the Interfaith progam, a “Malayang Talakayan” and an Experts Forum will be held on Thursday.

The Malayang Talakayan will be attended by more than 100 family program focal persons from the DSWD regional offices and from other national government agencies, as well as representatives from the Local Social Welfare and Development Offices (LSWDOs) and select Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).

Invited guests for the Experts Forum are family advocates from the academe, CSOs, government, and the media. These include Dr. Mary Racelis of Ateneo de Manila University to discuss the “Perspective and Insights on the Present State of the Filipino family; Dr. Girlie Noche of the University of Asia and the Pacific; Prof. Felipe De Leon of the National Commission on the Culture and the Arts (NCCA); and Mr. Cris J. Icban of Manila Bulletin.

To culminate the week-long event, a short program followed by an outreach activity in partnership with the Chito Madrigal Foundation will be held at the Consuelo “Chito” Madrigal Learning and Livelihood Village in Payatas, Quezon City, where some 160 poor families from nearby communities will benefit from the activities prepared by the foundation.

The NCFF will also recognize LGUs that had previously hosted National Family Week celebrations in the past years.