Butuan City– The Department of Social Welfare and Development conducted a consultation meeting with the congressional staff on the guidelines of Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF)/Congressional Initiative (CI) management and utilization on April 30, 2013.

The Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF)/Congressional Initiative (CI) is an appropriation allocated for the members of Congress to fund priority programs and projects or to fund the required  counterpart for foreign-assisted projects which amount shall be released directly to the implementing agency or Local Government Units concerned.

The coverage of PDAF which assigned to DSWD by members of congress used to provide augmentation support for the implementation of the Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (CIDSS), disaster management including relief and rehabilitation, social protection and promotion of rights and welfare of the poor and the disadvantaged and for the implementation of community driven development projects.

The objectives of the activity are; to prescribe the guidelines on the release, expenditure, monitoring and reporting of the use of the PDAF/CI to DSWD, to prescribe procedures on the procurement of goods and services covered by PDAF/CI governed by the principles of transparency, competitiveness, streamlining, accountability, and public monitoring. And to identify or establish clear accountabilities of officials and employees involved in the processing of PDAF/CI transactions.

The focal person, Dante Rosales, tackled the guidelines on the management and utilization on PDAF. DSWD Budget Officer, Asuncion S. Flauta, presented the remaining funds of the Congressmen in this region.

Questions and clarifications were also raised during the open forum, which were answered and clarified by DSWD Assistant Regional Director for Administration, Nerisa T. Murih and Unit Head of Crisis Intervention Unit (CIU) Ana Semacio.  ### (Social Marketing Unit)