To continue to provide relevant public information, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) engaged in an online consultation dialogue with the Facebook-Meta in November to discuss possible advocacy partnership on public solicitation.
Recognizing that public solicitation is often “misunderstood and misinterpreted,” especially during calamities, the DSWD sees Facebook-Meta as a powerful channel to raise awareness and provide correct information on the DSWD’s issuance of solicitation permits.
As mandated by Presidential Decree No. 1564 or the Solicitation Permit Law, the DSWD, through its Standards Bureau, has the authority to issue or disapprove the application for solicitation permit/s to any person, corporation, organization or association that wishes to solicit or receive of contributions for public welfare purposes.
The law was created with the sole purpose of ensuring that the intended recipients received the requested resources.
In the meeting with Facebook-Meta representatives, the DSWD presented a situationer on public solicitations made without a permit, highlighting those made through the social media app.
Facebook-Meta said that they could provide a free training session on how to maximize the social media platform as a tool for the DSWD’s awareness campaign.
To further counter misinformation and fake news, the DSWD intends to continue its strengthened communications efforts by exploring partnerships with experts and engaging the public for feedback.