The Philippines will highlight programs to strengthen families and empower children as it chairs the 2026 ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Saturday, Feb. 28.

According to DSWD Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Irene Dumlao, this year’s ASCC meetings, held under the theme “RISE ASEAN,” will prioritize the role of resilient and empowered families in building a stronger regional community.

She said the discussions will also highlight inclusive development, youth innovation, and environmental sustainability.

For its first priority initiative, Dumlao emphasized that the family, as the basic unit of society, is a key driver in building an inclusive and sustainable ASEAN region.

“Family bonds are very strong in ASEAN cultures, with people relying on their families for daily support, love, and essential needs. Because of this, family is a core part of the social support system. A growing consensus among ASEAN member states is to promote family resilience through improving social protection mechanisms and development programs and policies that will help ASEAN families withstand and quickly recover from difficulties or crises,” Dumlao explained.

She added that empowering families involves ensuring they are strong, resilient, and healthy.

Beyond economic support, she said DSWD’s chairship will also prioritize care systems that provide children with environments where they can grow and thrive.

As ASCC chair, the DSWD reiterated the importance of offering children a caring family and community environment, including those who are abandoned or currently living in residential centers and facilities.

In the Philippines, more than 4,000 children were waiting for permanent homes between 2023 and 2025.

The DSWD said these children deserve nurturing family environments instead of spending their formative years in long-term facilities.

“Shifting toward family-based care systems is one of the key initiatives that the DSWD’s chairship will focus on in this year’s ASCC. We want to encourage a transition from long-term residential care facilities to family-based alternatives, such as foster care and kinship care arrangements. This will help children under the care of centers and residential care facilities to grow up in protective and nurturing family environments,” Dumlao said.

The Philippines holds the ASEAN chair for 2026.

Aligned with the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, the country’s chairship will operate under the theme “Navigating our Future, Together,” emphasizing the need to address current and emerging challenges while shaping a resilient, dynamic, and people-centered regional community.