The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office VIII Assistant Regional Director for Administration Marlene Kahano attended the recent Turn-over of Funds for Shelter Assistance to Badjao Indigenous Peoples affected by typhoon Yolanda in the municipality of Isabel, Leyte.
Said shelter assistance amounting to Php 3,755,183.09 from the National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Council (NDRRMC) is provided to around 49 Badjao families, 43 of which are Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) family beneficiaries.
Mayor Saturnino Medina, Jr., emphasized the value of convergence efforts among the Local Government Unit (LGU), National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), DSWD, and other national agencies and non-government organizations in delivering such services to marginalized sectors including the Katutubo. Also, he shared that understanding each other and how others behave greatly help in achieving unity and progress.
Subsequently, Badjao chieftain and 4Ps beneficiary Jerry Sapayani expressed his gratitude on behalf of their tribe, for being given importance, a place in the community, and for their safe homes.
DSWD’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program though its Modified
Conditional Cash Transfer (MCCT) program facilitated the social preparation and identification of the primary needs of the Badjao community members by means of the Family Development Sessions (FDS) and focus group discussions.
MCCT complements 4Ps and caters to families in need of special protection. These include street families, itinerant indigenous families, families displaced by natural and man-made disasters, families with a person with disability (pwd), child laborers, children in conflict with the law, and families with members with terminal disease and victims of human trafficking. #DSWDMayMalasakit
