DSWD to Congress: Expedite passage of 7 bills
Social Welfare and Development Secretary Judy Taguiwalo is appealing to Congress for the immediate passage of seven bills seen to benefit the needy, marginalized and vulnerable sectors that her department is serving.
“This is why we appeal for the support of our legislators to prioritize the review and enactment of the seven bills that we are proposing,” Taguiwalo said.
The proposed bills are on social welfare and development agencies (SWDAs); public solicitation; amendments to the Solo Parents’ Welfare Act of 2000; elderly abuse; establishment of the National Council for the Welfare of Senior Citizens; positive and non-violent discipline of children, and the magna carta of daycare workers.
The SWDAs bill is meant to support the department’s core mandate of setting standards for the implementation of social welfare and development programs.
It primarily seeks to strengthen DSWD’s regulatory functions; set standards; provide benefit and incentives; and monitor public and private individuals, agencies and organizations engaged in social welfare and development activities.
The bill also provides mechanisms for sanctions in case of non-compliance with standards and procedures set by the DSWD.
It also grants benefits and incentives to registered, licensed and accredited SWDAs in recognition of their importance and invaluable contribution in social welfare and development.
“DSWD cannot do the work alone; it needs to replicate itself and its services through [SWDAs] while ensuring that the services provided by partners are of the same quality, if not better,” Taguiwalo said.
“The more agencies working to provide programs and services, the better,” she said. The passage of the other draft bills is integral to the DSWD’s response to other social concerns such as the one on public solicitation.
This bill aims to protect the general public from unscrupulous solicitation by strengthening the system for granting permits for charitable and welfare purposes.
It also provides the modes of solicitation and prescribes penalties for solicitation without permit.
In effect, the bill will help protect the Filipino public from falling prey to fake solicitations and resource generation efforts.
On the other hand, the bill amending the Solo Parents’ Welfare Act of 2009 acknowledges the issue that solo parent-headed families have valid concerns that need to be addressed.
A 2007 Department of Health ( DOH)- University of the Philippines- National Institute of Health (UP-NIH) joint study placed the estimated number of Filipino solo parents at an alarming 14 million out of the 94 million population at that time, which translates to about 30.5 percent growth rate for the solo parent sector.
Based on this figure, the projected number of solo parents in the Philippines by the end of 2017 could be around 20 million, which would mean that solo parents represent one of the biggest marginalized sectors of society.
These alarming estimates, according to Taguiwalo, clearly showed the need to amend Solo Parents’ Welfare Act of 2000. Another important social problem that needs the government’s focus is elderly abuse, according to the secretary.
“We hear of senior citizens being beaten by their guardians. Some sickly elders [are] allegedly even tied to posts or locked in rooms. There is an urgent need to ensure the protection of older persons,” Taguiwalo explained.
The bill defines acts committed against senior citizens, imposes higher penalties for their commission and requires the development of strategies to prevent or reduce abuses.