Marcos orders DOLE, DSWD to speed up aid for displaced workers, indigents

Bienvenido Laguesma —Photo from DOLE facebook page

President Marcos on Tuesday ordered the labor and social welfare departments to speed up the delivery of assistance to displaced workers and indigent families during a sectoral meeting held in Malacañang to address underspending and determine the steps to improve agency budget utilization.

The Presidential Communications Office, in a statement, said the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), among other government agencies, presented during the meeting their respective catch-up plans to speed up the delivery of social services that are funded by this year’s national budget.

“The President has strict directive to us that [since] the fund is already there, especially those pertaining to social protection programs of the government, we should distribute them to the intended beneficiaries,” Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said in a later briefing.

He added the Dole has a catch-up plan already in place, being one of government agencies extending social protection in coordination with local governments and other partners.

Laguesma said one of Dole’s big-ticket programs is the Tulong Pangkabuhayan Para sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (Tupad), focusing on extending assistance to the disadvantaged, vulnerable, displaced and marginalized sector.

Beneficiaries profiled

While agencies were required to come up with catch-up plans, Laguesma clarified the data on utilization rate only covered the first quarter of the year.“This second quarter, we have already caught up because when we were given information on what our rate of utilization was, we immediately met with our regional directors,” he added.

Aside from having a catch-up plan, the secretary said the Dole has to carry out profiling of intended beneficiaries of Tupad and other programs to ensure that government money spent on programs would really benefit the eligible population.

“We have to make sure that proper documentation, which the Commission on Audit always look for, is being conducted so that the funds that we grant will really go to the intended expenditure,” he said.

The labor chief also said Mr. Marcos wanted to focus on the employability of the Filipino youth to prepare them for the future, especially for the post-pandemic opening of the economy and the generation of jobs resulting from foreign investments obtained in Mr. Marcos’ overseas trips. INQ