The Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office 8 awarded three partners from non-government organizations (NGO) and local government units, who significantly provided successful social protection programs to marginalized and vulnerable sectors of the region during the culmination night of the department’s 62nd anniversary celebration last February 6, 2013, at the Leyte Park Hotel, Tacloban City.

This year’s awardees were: South Pacific Integrated Agricultural Development Foundation Inc. (SPIADFI); Municipality of Javier, Leyte for the “Gawad Paglilingkod sa Sambayanan” (GAPAS) Award; and Province of Leyte for the “Gawad sa Makabagong Teknolohiya” for introducing the biometric system for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

The Municipality of Javier and Province of Leyte also received the same recognition at the national level during the DSWD anniversary celebration, held last February 1, 2013 in Manila.

“The “Pagkilala sa Natatanging Kontribusyon Ko sa Bayan” (PaNaTa) awards is our way of expressing gratitude and appreciation to our partners,” says DSWD Regional Director Remia Tapispisan. The “PaNaTa Ko Sa Bayan” Awrds aims to recognize partners stakeholders in appreciation with their unending support in the implementation of social protection programs at their own level.

In a related development, the biometrics technology is now being replicated in Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, particularly in Maguindanao and Lanao Del Sur.