Amid the continued threats of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), there is no stopping Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rolando Joselito D. Bautista to personally oversee the agency’s core shelter project and the distribution of food and non-food assistance to thousands of families affected by disasters in Alaminos City, Pangasinan.

(Left photo from DSWD) DSWD Secretary Rolando Bautista (right) confers with DSWD-Field Office 1 Regional Director Marie Angela Gopalan and former Alaminos City Mayor Arthur Celeste (in gray shirt, partly hidden), as they tour the Core Shelter Assistance Program (CSAP) Village at Barangay Lucap, Alaminos City. (Right photo from DSWD). A DSWD social worker distributes cash assistance to senior citizens.

The DSWD said Bautista visited the core shelter project in Alaminos City in Pangasinan on June 9 .

“Some 231 families are now occupying the core houses at the project sites located in Barangays Lucap, Victoria, and Pangapisan,” it said in a statement on Wednesday.

The project is jointly implemented by the DSWD through its Field Office I, and the city government of Alaminos.

The DSWD reported that more than 4,000 indigent Alaminos residents were given assistance which includes food, non-food, and cash.

“Magpasalamat tayo sa pagsasama-sama natin ngayon na kabilang ang ating mga pinuno na tumitingin at nakikinig sa mga boses natin na nangangailangan (We must be thankful of this assembly with our leaders who ensure that voices of those in need are heard and considered),” Bautista said in his message to the city resident during the fellowship.

City officials headed by Mayor Arth Bryan Celeste joined Bautista during the fellowship with the residents.

Bautista also took the opportunity to inform the residents that part of the DSWD’s services is the operations of the ‘Malasakit Centers’ in identified hospitals as ‘One-Stop-Shop’ for indigent patients.

Currently, there are 118 hospitals with Malasakit Centers, 61 of which are in Luzon, 29 in Visayas, and 28 in Mindanao.

The DSWD chief also urged the beneficiaries to strictly follow health protocols, like using masks and face shields, and practicing physical distancing, and hand sanitizing at all times.

DSWD-Field Office I Director Marie Angela S. Gopalan called on the beneficiaries to spend wisely the cash assistance extended to them.

“Ito po ay tulong at kung gagamitin sa maayos ay makakatawid sa atin sa anumang ating hinaharap dito sa pandemya” (This help if used wisely will go a long way in helping us overcome the effects of this pandemic), she said.

The DSWD said it is committed to continue providing social services to the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized amid the pandemic.

#CORE SHELTER

‘Voices of those in need are heard’: DSWD chief visits core shelter, oversees aid distribution in Alaminos, Pangasinan