The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has expressed its condolences to the family of former President Fidel V. Ramos, who passed away on July 31.
During the DSWD flag ceremony on Monday, August 1, Secretary Erwin T. Tulfo led the officials and staff in pausing for a moment of silence to honor the passing of Ramos.
The agency’s flag was also placed at half-mast as a sign of solidarity with the nation.
President Ramos was known for his development and empowerment thrust in helping the poor, stating in his 3rd State of the Nation Address on July 1994, that “our object is to help the poor help themselves.”
Pursuant to this, the former president launched the Social Reform Agenda (SRA) which laid out the Ramos administration’s framework for development.
Under the SRA, it was clearly stated that the minimum basic needs of the disadvantaged sectors must be addressed through a convergence effort.
This gave way to the development of the highly successful Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (CIDSS) implemented by the DSWD.
The CIDSS program provided a way to identify and address the unmet basic needs of the poorest of the poor.
The lessons learned from CIDSS later became the foundation of other anti-poverty programs like the Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services or Kalahi-CIDSS.