'DSWD steering not rowing'
Police Regional Office VI
Iloilo City
Dear PO3 Lindero:
This has reference to your open letter dated February 16, 2009 which we were furnished with a copy.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) maintains its stand to promote the rights and welfare of the poor, the vulnerable and the disadvantaged sector of the society. We appreciate efforts of people, like yours, who pursue the welfare of the needy and the advantage. That kind of vigilance is admirable in people and it is such an effective way of advocating for social welfare, which is more face-to-face and interpersonal.
We would like to stress, however, that we are already on the steering role rather than rowing. While the public perceives us at DSWD as first responder in disaster, in crisis and in other difficult situation, we are striving to change this image since the devolution in 1991 when the Local Government Units (LGUs) were empowered and given more autonomy.
We, in DSWD, are already in the provision of Technical Assistance and Resource Augmentation. The LGU, in your case, the Iloilo City Government-City Social Welfare and Development Office—should be the first responder. We are thus, referring this matter to them, specifically to locate the concerned family and extend assistance to them.
However, we don’t want to pass the buck because we don’t want the bureaucracy to be topsy-turvy rather than facilitative. We are very aware of the shortcomings of the City Social Welfare. We continue in advocating to the City leadership for the establishment of the 24-hour Crisis Intervention Unit to be manned all days of the week.
The DSWD Field Office VI will furnish a copy of your letter to the CSWDO. Should the city expresses the need for DSWD’s augmentation, that’s where we will come in and facilitate for the release of our resource augmentation for the family subject to the department’s budgetary constraint.
Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
JOEL P. GALICIA
Asst. Regional Director