City Mayor John Geesnell Yap II lauded the City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) for a job well done, as the latter bagged the Pagkilala sa Natatanging Kontribusyon sa Bayan (PANATA)- Gawad sa Paglilingkod sa Sambayanan (GAPAS) award from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
“Indeed your efforts did not go unnoticed. We commend your service and dedication. Your efforts during this time of pandemic are laudable. From the distribution of financial and relief assistance to the marginalized, up to the provision of skills training to the under-privileged, your agency has indeed risen to the challenge”, Yap said.
The Tagbilaran CSWD won the PANATA-GAPAS Award for employment facilitation model in Region 7. The awards were received recently by CSWD head Cirena Sia on Sept. 6, 2021.
It was the series of job fairs conducted by the City Government thru its Public Employment Services Office (PESO) which clinched the victory for the agency.
Tagbilaran City won the award for generously supporting the advocacies, thrusts and priorities of DSWD’ sustainable livelihood program and for creating a conducive and enabling social economic environment for the sustainable livelihood programs (SLP) beneficiaries.
Furthermore, the CSWD’s response to the Coronavirus disease (Covid) pandemic has been visibly dynamic in the past months.
More than 2,000 individuals, including the Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs) received financial assistance from the agency through its Aid for Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS).
Around 86 displaced individuals also received food packs. The Social Amelioration Program (SAP) subsidy was released to 14,952 individuals who were distressed by the pandemic.
Livelihood assistance was also provided to those who were unemployed, around 178 individuals received the cash assistance.
Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) living alone numbering to about 1,457 in Tagbilaran were also given relief packs and cash assistance.
The pupils in all the 34-day care centers in the city were also furnished regularly with learning materials in support of the blended learning modality.
The DSWD also awarded winners from different areas in Central Visayas.
The other winners were Mabinay, Negros Oriental as the outstanding local government unit (LGU) in the Implementation of SLP- micro enterprise model, Cordova, Cebu as the model LGU in the implementation of the PantawidPamilyang Pilipino Program, and Pilar, Bohol won the award for Good Convergence Initiative.
PANATA-GAPAS awards are given to local government units which implement the programs and services of the DSWD such as SLP and micro enterprise and employment facilitation models with convergence initiative. Tagbilaran City also won the PANATA-GAPAS Award in 2019.