The Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office Caraga through the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Caraga has been a finalist for the Best Operations Office under the National Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence (PRAISE) 2020.
4Ps Caraga has been taking significant steps over its 13 years of regional program implementation, covering 190,707 households, or 100.75% of the physical targeted households, across the five provinces of the region, as of December 2020. This includes the additional beneficiaries under Set 10 registration.
Through the leadership of Officer-In-Charge Ramel Jamen, the Team was able to effect various innovations and accomplishments on its systems, policies, processes, linkages, and in serving its partner beneficiaries.
In the past, the 4Ps Caraga has been awarded and recognized in the National Office. To mention some, it has been awarded National Best Operations Team (2019), garnered 11 different National Citations (2019), and hailed Ms. Lea Rebuta, parent leader from Butuan City, the Panata Ko sa Bayan National Best Volunteer Awardee (2020). But for this year’s PRAISE Awards, this will be the first time in five years for 4Ps Caraga to be shortlisted as a Team.
As for the Gender and Development (GAD) aspects of the program, the Field Office also got three recognitions, namely:
- Creative Initiative in Client-Focused Gender Mainstreaming – This is through building the knowledge and capabilities of the Pantawid Parent Leaders in combating Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) and toward advancing gender equality and women empowerment; and
- Effort in Promoting Youth Empowerment among Pantawid program beneficiaries through Gender Sensitivity Trainings
With the systems and policies promulgated by the National Program Management Office (NPMO), there are areas which the Team deems important to complement. The eight (8) innovations include the HULAGWAY – a collection of data from the distinct units of the program that will give users an overview of the key information about the beneficiaries, specific activities, cash disbursements, core system updates, and more.
In attainment of the delivery of the programs and services to the vulnerable sectors, 4Ps Caraga maintains its good working relationship and partnership building with internal staff and external factors like the Local Government Units, National Government Agencies, Civil Society Organizations and similar groups which helped the Team in affording the quality services that the clients deserve.
In fact, during the first ever field visit of the World Bank, ADB and UNICEF in the region last 2018, they have commended the program implementation in the region and has marked in their presentation during the exit conference that, “The program generally performs relatively well in Caraga compared to national and other regional performances.” – The World Bank
Moreover, all five (5) Provincial Local Government Units (PLGUS) in Caraga supported the program through policy formulation in approving Provincial Ordinances prohibiting cash card pawning in their respective Provinces. Caraga region is the only region who have done this feat.
4Ps Caraga is also composed of not just competent but well-rounded individuals with unique and laudable talents and skills manifested in several groups they created whether it be in music, dance, chorale, short-film making, creative writing or painting they excel best.
They too have been gracious enough of their labor by sharing themselves to other programs, such as Supplemental Feeding, Social Pension, UCT, Disaster Response and now in the implementation of Social Amelioration Program, among many others, in serving as augmentation support leading to the overall successes of the Regional Office.
Due to the pandemic, the Program’s priority changed, considering the provision of Social Amelioration Program (SAP) emergency subsidies to its beneficiaries for April and May. The Team was able to obligate the entire allocated budget by the end of the year as mandated by the National Office in accordance with the Bayanihan guidelines.
Considering SAP as unprecedented program in the wake of the pandemic, the FO, through utilization of the existing staff and structure of 4Ps Caraga, has initiated strategies to thrive from this trying times, hence innovative skills flourished by implementing the 3-fold strategy ReALM.
Because of the Team’s exceptional performance in the region, the program was invited to present its accomplishments to the Caraga Regional Development Council-SDC and later on to the RDC Full Council meeting and has been commended by the chair of the committee expressing support to the program.
Being nominated as Best Operations Office for National PRAISE Award is an evidence that the 4Ps Caraga has exercised exemplary performance of their roles and responsibilities, which has contributed to the efficiency, and improvement in the FO’s operations.
Through the years, the Team has developed a duly approved service brand condensed as SERVE 1st – giving identity to the team as servant leaders, defined as:
S for Strong Support System,
E for Excellence Model,
R for Responsive to Social Challenges,
V for Vigor for Distinct Innovations,
E for Empowerment Instruments,
1 for One Goal, Driven by Passion,
S for Synergy in Action, and
T for Team of Servant Leaders.
“This is a reminder of who we are, what we do, and how we do it; imbibing the client-centered value, serving first all the time. This mantra is manifested in the activities conducted and/or facilitated over and beyond the expected roles and functions of the program’s workforce,” Crislea D. Celeste, Regional Program Coordinator of 4Ps Caraga, proudly shared.
