The Department of Social Welfare & Development continues its endeavor to be a leader in social protection in Asia and the Indo-Pacific Region when it accommodated visiting officials from the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection (MSLP) of the government of Mongolia. The officials were on a study tour of the Philippines from February 12 to 17, 2024, arranged by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and with the expressed purpose of having learning dialogues and knowledge-sharing sessions with DSWD on its experiences in social protection.
The Mongolian delegation were headed by Directors Undral Bold from MLSP-Social Welfare Policy Implementation & Coordination Department; Chimegsuren Altangerel from the General Office of Labor and Social Welfare (GOLSW); Governor Batsukh Nyamaa from the 24th Khoroo of the Bayanzurkh District; and, Deputy Governor Undarmaa Dashdaraa from the Ulaanbaatar City. The group also included senior technical specialists from the Departments of Social Insurance Department; Policy and Planning; and, from Public Administration and Management.
The delegation was hosted by a DSWD Team headed by Undersecretary Denise Fb Bernos Bragas of the Standards and Capacity Building Group (SCBG) and Undersecretary Vilma Cabrera of the National Household Targeting System (NHTS) and Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). The Team also included Assistant Secretary for NHTS and 4Ps Marites Maristela; 4Ps National Program Management Office (4Ps-NPMO) Director and National Program Manager Gemma B. Gabuya; Sustainable Livelihood Program Director Edmon B. Monteverde; Policy Development and Planning Bureau (PDPB) Director Rhodora G. Alday; Social Welfare Institutional Development Bureau (SWIDB) Director IV Justin Caesar Anthony Batocabe; and SWIDB Assistant Bureau Director Edna J. Sacedor.
The visiting officials were particularly interested in understanding the mechanics of DSWD’s 4Ps implementation and its interface with the graduation approach as well as the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP). Their interests were peaked when the DSWD team presented other major programs, such as the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTSPR) and the Food Stamp Program (FSP) that is geared at mitigating involuntary hunger. This interest was viewed by the ADB team under Advisor Kelly Bird from the Office of the Director General – East Asia Department, as a positive sign for future study tours it can arrange with DSWD and other Indo-Pacific countries wishing to improve their social protection services.
For their part, the Mongolian delegation provided DSWD officials with valuable insights and lessons learned from the implementation of their own Food Stamp Program. This shared information is a significant reference as DSWD scales up the FSP in the targeted pilot areas. After the Knowledge-Sharing engagement at the Central Office, the delegation will be visiting 4Ps and SLP sites in Iloilo to facilitate a more immersive and deeper understanding of the DSWD’s program implementation and achievements.