House Speaker Martin Romualdez has lauded the leadership of Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian for looking after the Aeta community.

The DSWD distributed farming implements to 521 Aeta families in Barangay Maruglo, Capas, Tarlac, as part of its continuing efforts to help indigenous peoples (IPs) become economically self-reliant.

The assistance--provided under the agency's Pag-Abot Program--also sought to prevent the beneficiaries from resorting to begging in urban areas, particularly during the Christmas season.

“The Pag-Abot Program is a critical social safety net that fills gaps in our poverty alleviation measures. It is also proof of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s strong commitment to eradicate poverty in line with the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,” Romualdez said in a statement Sunday, Sept. 14.

He cited Executive Order (EO) No. 52, series of 2024, signed by President Marcos on Jan. 18, 2024, which formalized the Pag-Abot Program as a key government initiative to reach out to and support vulnerable, disadvantaged, and hard-to-reach populations in the Philippines.

The DSWD’s recent package of support for the Aeta families included 50 carabaos, 10 hand tractors with trailers, nine mini-tiller cultivators, 10 grass-cutters, 10 water pumps, 33 knapsack sprayers, six power sprayers, four mini palay threshers, and three rice mills.

These were on top of the 91 carabaos earlier provided by the agency following the rescue and reintegration of Aeta families who had gone to Metro Manila in December 2023.

“These farm implements for our Aeta brothers and sisters in Tarlac are not just tools to till the land. They are also symbols of hope—hope that with hard work and determination, supported by responsive government programs, a brighter future is within reach for their families and communities,” Romualdez said.

He praised Gatchalian for ensuring that the Aeta community itself identified interventions most beneficial to them, in line with the community-driven approach under the DSWD’s Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS).

“Sila man ay nasa laylayan ng ating lipunan, ipinapadama ng pamahalaan sa pamamagitan ng DSWD na hindi sila isinantabi at kinalimutan. Sa halip, tinutulungan silang makaahon sa kahirapan at mamuhay nang may dignidad at pag-asa,” said the Leyte 1st district congressman.

(Even if they are at the margins of our society, the government—through the DSWD—makes them feel that they are neither neglected nor forgotten. Instead, they are being helped to rise from poverty and live with dignity and hope.)

The Speaker emphasized that Congress is fully committed to supporting the Pag-Abot Program and other DSWD interventions as part of the Marcos administration’s agenda for a New Philippines.

For 2026, the DSWD has proposed a total budget of P223.2 billion, covering its flagship programs, including the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), Supplementary Feeding Program, and Sustainable Livelihood Program. Of this, P807 million has been allocated to the Pag-Abot Program, including P586 million for grants and P66.6 million for outreach operations.

“As members of the House of the People, we will ensure that sufficient resources are provided for these programs so that no Filipino family is left behind. Ang bawat pisong ginugol para sa kapakanan ng ating mahihirap ay puhunan para sa kinabukasan ng bansa,” Romualdez said.