(PAGASA 24-HOUR PUBLIC WEATHER FORECAST as of Wednesday, 27 March 2024) Easterlies affecting the eastern section of the country. Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur will experience Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms due to Easterlies / Localized Thunderstorms. Possible flash floods or landslides during severe thunderstorms.


Monday, July 02, 2018


DSWD Caraga shares updates on agency's various programs

By Jennifer P. Gaitano

BUTUAN CITY, July 2 (PIA) – In its aim to continuously update media partners on the development of the department’s programs and services, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Caraga on Monday met with the media practitioners here and nearby municipalities and shared with them updates on the their respective programs and services, and interacted with the media during an open forum.

In his message, Ramel Jamen, administrative chief of DSWD-Caraga, said their office also welcomes negative feedbacks from the media and respond to them appropriately, since they consider it as constructive criticism, with emphasis on how the department could better enhance their services to the public, especially to the marginalized sector of the community.

Aldie May Andoy, Listahanan Field Coordinator of DSWD Caraga, reiterated that the Regional Profile of the Poor is generated using pertinent information in the Listahanan database. According to Andoy, it is shared with the national government agencies, non-government organizations, local government units, and other social protection stakeholders through forum and other outreach activities. 

“As stipulated in the Memorandum of Agreement with DSWD, data users are to provide feedback on how they used the information generated from the Listahanan database for proper monitoring and recording,” Andoy added.

It was also learned that the poorest households in the municipalities are selected through a Proxy-Means Test. This test determines the socio-economic category of the families by looking at certain proxy variables such as ownership of assets, type of housing, education of the household head, livelihood of the family and access to water and sanitation facilities.

Also, citing the need to get a travel clearance for minors going abroad, Jessie Catherine Aranas, chief of Protective Programs and Services under DSWD Caraga explained that because of incidences of child abductions, a Filipino minor child, regardless of civil status, is required to secure a travel clearance issued by the DSWD if the child will travel out of the Philippines, either alone or with an adult other than a parent.

Aranas further bared that a DSWD travel clearance is valid for a period of one year from the date of issuance and shall be valid for multiple travels within the validity period, provided the conditions under which the travel clearance was issued have not changed. “If a change in condition occurs like a change in travelling companion, a new travel clearance must be obtained,” she clarified.

Aranas also shared the guidelines for media practitioners on the reporting and coverage of children. The department has sought the cooperation of the media partners in the region as they report incidents/cases involving minors.

Meanwhile, Crislea Celeste, regional program coordinator of DSWD Caraga revealed that as of April 30, 2018, a total of 187,126 households are enrolled in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in the region. (PIA-Caraga)