DSWD to launch program for individuals ‘in street situations’

The launching would be done through a simulation activity of the project’s reach-out operation at the DSWD Central Office in Batasan, Quezon City. (Pexels Photo)

MANILA – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will launch Friday the “Oplan Pag-Abot,” one of its newest projects seeking to reduce the risks and vulnerabilities of children, individuals and families “in street situations” through reach-out operations and provision of various interventions.

The launching would be done through a simulation activity of the project’s reach-out operation at the DSWD Central Office in Batasan, Quezon City.

Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez, DSWD spokesperson, said Secretary Rex Gatchalian, together with the Oplan Pag-Abot team headed by Undersecretary for Innovations Eduardo Punay, will lead the project launching.

Lopez said the DSWD will demonstrate the step-by-step reach-out process, particularly the initial interview or counseling which includes biometrics administration, photo capturing, issuance of identification cards and assessment of the clients.

Under the project, clients will be provided with various interventions, depending on their assessed needs, such as medical assistance, food support, transportation and relocation aid, livelihood opportunities, transitory family support packages, emergency financial assistance and transitory shelter assistance.

The simulation activity will be held in preparation for the full implementation of the Oplan Pag-Abot in Metro Manila, targeting abandoned, neglected and orphaned children below 18 years old; unattached adults who are found to be vagrants, mendicants and with mental incapacity/disability; and homeless street families who are displaced due to fire, demolition or family crisis, Lopez said.

Reach-out operations, he added, will be conducted in different cities in the National Capital Region on a 24-hour shifting basis by a team composed of social workers.

“The Pag-Abot project aims to provide a holistic approach in the reintegration of individuals and families in street situations to the community that introduces digital and developmental features. Through this, the DSWD hopes to effectively and sustainably address the needs of the sector to prevent them from returning to the streets,” Punay said.

Richard Paat Palpal-latoc, chair of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), will attend the launch, as the main partner of the DSWD in ensuring that the rights of the children and families in street situations are protected during the reach-out operations.

The DSWD and CHR partnership, Punay said, can ensure that it applies a child rights approach in addressing the needs of children and families in street situations and that the operation is in accordance with the protocol to reach out to street children.

Metro Manila Council Chair and San Juan City Mayor Francis Javier M. Zamora, and Metro Manila Development Authority Chair Romando S. Artes are also expected to attend the launch and witness the simulation activity.