Friends, colleagues in the DSWD, to our valuable partners in our social and advocacy work, a very good afternoon to everyone. Today, on behalf of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), I am happy to welcome you to this event which gives recognition to our various partners and stakeholders. It is my honor to be among you as the DSWD holds it “Pagkilala sa Natatanging Kontribusyon sa Bayan or PaNata Ko sa Bayan Awards. The PANATA awards serves as one of the highlights of the Department’s annual anniversary celebration. This year is the department’s 66th anniversary.

This is my first time to lead the PANATA Awards, and its importance does not escape me. The PANATA awards ceremony is our department’s way to thank the various groups and individuals who help the DSWD implement its mandate to serve the Filipino people not only during calamities and emergencies, but also during the course of our people’s daily lives as they seek to improve the lives of their children and their families.

As the government’s lead welfare agency, the DSWD faces the big challenge of responding to the needs of thousands of Filipinos who do not have the immediate means to address sudden emergencies: Many require emergency financial assistance for medical and hospital needs; others require added funds for the educational needs of their children. Then there are others who need to augment funds for funeral and burial arrangements of loved ones.

These are actually among the most basic services that the DSWD provides, and there are many, many more that we give the Filipino people. We run centers for abused women, for abandoned children and neglected senior citizens. We give counseling and psycho-social interventions to people experiencing or recovering from trauma. We teach communities about reproductive health, nutrition, empowerment, and means of livelihood. During calamities, we try to respond as fast as we can to assist as many Filipinos as possible and help as much as we can to help communities recover and strengthen their resilience. We have direct programs to help our poor brothers and sisters meet their daily needs through the Pantawid ng Pamilyang Pilipino Program and the Sustainable Livelihood Program. We also build infrastructure for communities through Kalahi-CIDSS.

To make it short, the work of the DSWD is tremendous.
Now, given the huge expectations the Filipino people have of the department, we in the DSWD need all the help that we can get so that we can perform all its tasks and fulfill all its responsibilities. It is not an understatement to say that we will never be able to accomplish all that we need to do for our beneficiaries without the help and support of our various partners. This is then at the core of why we hold the annual PANATA awards — to thank our partners and to give tribute to their own efforts to help Filipinos and improve their lives.”

Various awards will be given tonight.

First is the Salamat Po Award. This is a commendation of our development partners and volunteers who provided assistance or helped the DSWD to deliver its social protection services. The award is also in recognition of the goals achieved by our various NGO partners and the best practices they have established.
Next is the Gawad Paglilingkod sa Sambayanan or GAPAS Awards. This a commendation we give to the Local Government Units (LGU) that implement DSWD programs and services such as our Daycare Services, the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS), and the Sustainable Livelihood Program enterprise and employment facilitation models. We also give this LGUs that effectively implement a convergence initiative, as well as to the Best People’s Organizations that have made significant contributions to their respective communities.

Another award we will grant tonight is the Gawad sa Makabagong Teknolohiyang Panlipunan. This is the award given to either a LGU or an NGO which has introduced a new and effective social technology, the use of which has led to the creation of a best practice.

The last but certainly not the least award is the Gawad Serbisyo award. We give this in recognition to partners in government service who provide significant assistance and show unwavering commitment to helping the DSWD and assisting the Filipino people during emergencies.

In the last seven months, I have seen the capabilities of the DSWD, and the extent of its responsibilities. I myself applaud the efforts of everyone in the DSWD and all those who with the department as it carries out is duties to serve the Filipino people. This early, I extend my congratulations to all the winners of the Panata Awards, and to thank them as well as everyone else who has been nominated. On behalf of the DSWD – all of our bureaus, field offices, clusters – and most importantly in the name of the Filipino people, I am grateful for all the help you have all given the department in furtherance of its mission, vision, and goal to serve the poor and every Filipino in need. Now, more than ever, we must all unite and work together to ensure that we are able to provide our beneficiaries and the rest of the Filipino people prompt and compassionate service, and service that has no room for corruption.

As President Rodrigo Duterte says, Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa. Maraming salamat at mabuhay kayo!