Continue giving cash grants to poor households and individuals who are heavily affected by the rising prices of goods, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. told the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Speaking at the 72nd founding anniversary of the DSWD on Tuesday, Jan. 31, Marcos ordered the department to continue implementing various programs aimed at reducing poverty and hunger in the country.
The President told the DSWD and other government agencies to ensure that their respective services "reach those in need wherever they may be," stressing that people should not need to travel to urban areas to access government services.
"Continue calibrating the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and strengthening the government’s social protection initiatives, especially since one of the measure that we undertake to address poverty is through the grants that we provide for the health needs of every household and education of our children," he said.
"In addition to these, I call upon the department to continue to implement the unconditional cash transfer program to provide cash grants to poor households and individuals who do not benefit from the lower income tax rates but who are adversely affected by rising prices," he added.
The chief executive also asked the DSWD to enhance the social pension program for indigent senior citizens as a means to augment their daily subsistence and medical needs.
In his speech, Marcos also lauded the DSWD for its contributions in pandemic response, reducing poverty and hunger, and towards achieving upper middle income status by 2025.
"The work that you do is crucial and I am sure that with your dedication and hard work, we will continue to make the progress in uplifting the lives of our fellow Filipinos," the President said.