DSWD to expand Pag-abot Program for street dwellers with new Cebu facility

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will beef up its interventions for families and individuals in street situations (FISS) in Central Visayas with the ongoing construction of the Pag-abot Program’s new processing center in Mandaue City, Cebu.

The new facility will be a key component to faster and more responsive interventions for street dwellers who will require immediate assistance through the Pag-abot Program.

Social Welfare Undersecretary Edu Punay of the DSWD’s Innovations and Program Development Group (IPDG) recently visited the project site to personally inspect the progress of the construction, together with DSWD Social Technology Bureau (STB) Asst. Bureau Director Marilyn Moral and Field Office (FO) 7 – Central Visayas Regional Director (RD) Shalaine Marie Lucero.

Punay underscored the DSWD’s commitment to ensuring that the facility will support efficient service delivery and provide a safe, organized, and dignified space for street dwellers in need of care and protection.

DSWD spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said the Pag-abot processing center will enhance the DSWD’s capacity to respond swiftly to urgent cases, while ensuring that affected families receive the appropriate support in a well-managed environment.

The first Pag-abot processing center is located at the Nasdake Building in Pasay City, the same building that houses the DSWD’s Walang Gutom Kitchen. The DSWD opened another Pag-abot processing center in Pampanga in December.

“Itong Pag-abot Program ay marami nang natulungan na mga pamilya at indibidwal. Kapag operational na ang processing center, mas lalaki pa ang reach ng programa at mas marami pang beneficiaries ang makikinabang sa mas mabilis at mas maayos na serbisyo, nakakatuwa ito,” Dumlao said.

(The Pag-abot Program has helped so many families and individuals. Once the processing center is operational, our program’s reach will widen and more beneficiaries will receive its fast and efficient services.)

The DSWD added that it expects to improve the Pag-abot Program’s coverage and response time and strengthen the delivery of compassionate and effective social services.

“Malaking hakbang ang pagtatayo ng Pag-abot processing center dahil mas mapapabilis ang proseso ng pagtulong sa mga pamilyang nangangailangan. Mas magiging maayos ang flow ng services at mas sigurado ang protection na maibibigay sa bawat pamilya,” Dumlao said.

(The construction of the Pag-abot processing center is a big deal because we can expedite the process of helping families in need. We will have an improved flow of services and ensure the protection given to each family.)

In December, Malacañang said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wanted to strengthen the Pag-Abot Program, an initiative that offers support, interventions, and social welfare protection to street dwellers.

The Pag-abot Program, which was started by the DSWD in 2023, was institutionalized through Executive Order (EO) 52 in January 2024.

So far, it has provided assistance to numerous families nationwide, particularly those in vulnerable and at-risk situations.

It has reached out to 11,451 individuals who were safely taken off the streets since 2023.

The DSWD provides interventions to help the FISS return to their homes or places of origin and to their communities. — JMA, GMA Integrated News