Despite a tough year in public service, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is still among the top-performing government agencies, according to an independent and non-commissioned survey.

The agency received a 52-percent approval rating based on PUBLiCUS Asia’s PAHAYAG survey conducted from March 20 to 29 among 1,500 registered voters drawn from an online research panel of approximately 100,000 Filipinos maintained by a Singapore-based firm.

Location, gender, and age were key considerations in the construction of the sample.

The same survey showed that a large 72.3 percent of the respondents think that the Philippine government should vaccinate 80 percent to 100 percent of the population, while almost all respondents or 94 percent agreed that the government should vaccinate at least 60 percent of the population.

Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista attributed the agency’s positive rating to its employees, dubbed as “angels in red vests”, for their dedication to deliver social welfare services despite the risks posed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

“The DSWD is also grateful for the Filipino people’s trust and pledges to continue to ensure the delivery of its ‘maagap at mapagkalingang serbisyo’, especially to the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized sectors amid the pandemic,” Bautista said.

The DSWD led the government’s Social Amelioration Program in 2020, which was given in two tranches to families considered as most financially affected when the quarantine protocols were implemented.

Despite making strides in their amelioration program, DSWD Undersecretary Glen Paje, in an interview, said they still had to hurdle some challenges, such as beneficiaries registering in two or more local government units (LGUs) to receive multiple subsidies.

“That explains why we did not meet the desired date of completion. We had to cross-match the database of poor households to make sure that we can give to as much families as we can. Some beneficiaries who tried to get more take the chance of another family from getting their allocation,” Paje said.

The first and second tranches of the emergency subsidy were already rolled out to beneficiaries.

Apart from the cash subsidy, the DSWD continues to serve the public through its various social protection services that assist poor and vulnerable families to meet their needs.

These include assistance to individuals in crisis situation, provision of family food packs to LGUs, social pension for indigent senior citizens, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, and sustainable livelihood program. (PNA)