CABANATUAN CITY (PIA) — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office III and the City Government of Cabanatuan have strengthened their partnership to expand social protection services for street dwellers, vulnerable families, and other disadvantaged sectors through the Pag-abot Program.
DSWD Regional Director Venus Rebuldela and Cabanatuan City Mayor Myca Elizabeth Vergara formalized the partnership through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement aimed at enhancing the delivery of comprehensive assistance and helping vulnerable individuals rebuild their lives.
The strengthened collaboration has already facilitated the reintegration of 25 beneficiaries with their families, the profiling of 11 individuals from the Sama-Bajau community, and the provision of livelihood assistance to 19 beneficiaries to help them move away from street situations and reduce their exposure to associated risks.
Vergara emphasized the government’s responsibility to support Filipinos throughout every stage of their lives, stressing the importance of providing opportunities and assistance that can improve their living conditions and help them achieve a better future.
Rebuldela, meanwhile, thanked the City Government of Cabanatuan for its full support for the institutionalization of the Pag-abot Program.
Cabanatuan is the first local government unit in Central Luzon to enter into an agreement with DSWD Field Office III for the program, reinforcing coordinated efforts to reach people in street situations and other vulnerable populations.
In a related development, the city government provided a 2,000-square-meter parcel of land to DSWD under a 25-year usufruct agreement for the establishment of the agency’s provincial office in Nueva Ecija.
The arrangement is expected to support the delivery and accessibility of social welfare services in the province.
The partnership supports President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to ensure that government programs and services reach vulnerable and disadvantaged Filipinos, particularly those who need assistance to improve their living conditions.
Through stronger coordination between national and local governments, DSWD and the City Government of Cabanatuan aim to provide more responsive, accessible, and sustained social protection interventions. (CLJD/CNG, PIA Region-3 Nueva Ecija)
