Lakewood, Zamboanga del Sur – The DSWD Field Office 9 participated during the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) Mini Caravan held on September 20 at the Municipal Gym of Lakewood, Zamboanga del Sur.

Around 300 residents of the municipality’s IP-dominated Brgy. Baking were chosen as beneficiaries of the said activity.

The caravan aimed to bring government services to the selected community with a convergence of various government agencies and partners in social development.

Aside from DSWD, other national government agencies (NGAs) such as the Technical Education  and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Agriculture (DA), and the security sector, among others, were also present to provide services to the identified constituents of the barangay.

The Field Office 9 was assigned to a booth or an information desk where questions related to the different programs and services of the agency (whether protective, promotive, or preventive) could be asked by clients.    

Majority of the queries received were related to membership in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). IP clients were able to inquire as to how could they apply in the government’s conditional cash transfer program and its qualifications. 

Meanwhile, considering that the Listahanan 3 validation was put on hold since April of this year, a number of clients queried with regards to the schedule of the validation activity’s resumption. For some, they appealed to be interviewed since they were not accordingly assessed during the household enumeration in 2019.

Aside from these, others likewise inquired on how to avail financial and educational assistance (other than 4Ps), Social Pension Program, livelihood projects, and adoption, among others. 

Information, education, and communication (IEC) collaterals were also distributed to the clients as part of the social marketing activities of the DSWD to further promote and advocate its programs and services especially to those living in underprivileged communities.

The PCUP Caravan is said to be one of the priority programs of the PCUP which serves as a one-stop shop of services for the urban poor sector, to avail different government and non-government services. The mini caravan officially began at 9 am and ended at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. ###