Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Monday assured all their field offices are well-functioning and consistently processing social welfare requests and are ready to extend assistance.

Gatchalian made the statement in response to earlier reports that the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) in Davao Region has been suspended.

“One thing is for sure, that our Davao Field Office is functioning and catering to requests of constituents, as we speak,” Gatchalian said during a press conference after the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing between the DSWD and the Social Security System (SSS) for the inclusion of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries as SSS members.

The DSWD Field Office-11 (Davao Region) has issued an advisory that it continues to serve the constituents of the Davao Region, particularly those in need of medical and burial assistance and other support services.

It assured the public that its funds for the implementation of the AICS are sufficient and it is ready to be of service to all Davaoeños.

For the first semester of 2024, the DSWD office in Davao Region has already served 273,305 clients with over PHP1.5 billion in aid disbursed.

The AICS is under the DSWD’s protective services program that provides financial and material assistance, psycho-social support, and referral services to crisis-hit individuals and their families, as assessed by social workers.

Earlier in the day, Gatchalian and SSS President and CEO Rolando Macasaet successfully sealed the MOA between the DSWD and SSS.

The MOA outlines the commitment of the DSWD to ensure that 4Ps beneficiaries are educated on the importance and benefits of the SSS membership and savings scheme.

It also confirms the agency’s task to provide the Pantawid beneficiaries with the necessary access to low-cost social insurance and to contribute to the DSWD’s financial literacy efforts among them. (PNA)