The Department of Social Welfare & Development continues to showcase its leadership in social protection in Asia and the Indo-Pacific Region through the sharing of its best practices with the visiting officials from Kulhudhufushi City, Republic of Maldives on 12 February 2025. The visit was led by City Mayor Mohamed Athif with council members Ahmed Abdulla, Ibrahim Ahmed, Rilwan Mohamed, Athifa Ali, and Secretary General Abdulla Adam. DSWD Undersecretary Eduardo M. Punay of the Innovations Group and Undersecretary Denise FB Bernos Bragas of the Regulatory Services and Institutional Development Group led the knowledge sharing session with Maldives government.
The visiting officials were oriented on the best practices on social welfare programs including the Early Childhood Care and Development Program, Supplementary Feeding Program, interventions for children in need of special protection, Disaster Risk-reduction and Climate Change Adaption, Sustainable Liveligood Program (SLP), and Tara, Basa! Tutoring Programs as an initiative for youth empowerment and education.
Orientations on the said programs were amply provided by Director Miramel G. Laxa of SLP; Director Maria Isabel B. Lanada, Special Assistant to the Secretary for Special Projects (SAS-SP) Office of the Secretary Risk Resiliency Program- Project LAWA and BINHI; Director Justin Caesar Anthony Batocabe of the DSWD Academy; Ms. Mary Grace Z. Blando, Social Welfare Officer IV of the Protective Services Bureau; and Ms. Kristiane L. Romero, Social Welfare Officer IV of Tara Basa! Tutoring Program- National Program Management Office.
The visit was part of a ten-day study tour of Maldives to the Philippines from 5 to 14 February 2025, arranged by the Department of Foreign Affairs.