Three senior officials of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) faced reporters during the agency’s Thursday Media Forum on December 12 at the Central Office’s New Press Center in Quezon City where they provided updates on ongoing initiatives of the Department and its attached agency, the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council (JJWC).

Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG), who is also the DSWD spokesperson, shared the latest reports on the ongoing disaster response efforts for families affected by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Kanlaon.

Assistant Secretary Juan Carlo Marquez, the agency’s co-spokesperson, discussed the status of the Beneficiary FIRST (Fast, Innovative, and Responsive Service Transformation) program, a digital transformation initiative to ensure that social welfare programs and services will be adaptive and shock-responsive.

JJWC Executive Director Atty. Tricia Clare Oco explained the Comprehensive National Juvenile Intervention Program (CNJIP) and other support programs of the council to help children in conflict with the law (CICL).

The Thursday Media Forum, which is held weekly at the DSWD Central Office’s New Press Center, is hosted by Special Assistant to the Secretary (SAS) for Communications Raymond Robert Burgos and Agency Operations Service (AOS) Director Clarissa Lara Duran. It is live streamed over the DSWD Facebook page. # (AKDL)