789 beneficiaries receive aid through AHON Convergence Program

Posted on July 4, 2021

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), together with the member-agencies of the Aid and Humanitarian Operations Nationwide (AHON) Convergence Program served a total of 789 farmers and fisher folks beneficiaries in Siargao, Surigao del Norte.

DSWD Assistant Secretary for Special Concerns Victor Neri expresses his aspirations to all beneficiaries of Santa Monica to invest the money they received for their start-up businesses.

These 789 beneficiaries include farmers and fisherfolks from the identified eightx (8) municipalities of Siargao who received P3,000.00 cash assistance each which totaled to P2, 367,000.00. To wit:

Burgos – P297,000.00 cash assistance with 99 beneficiaries;

Dapa – P300,000.00 cash assistance with 100 beneficiaries;

Del Carmen – P297,000.00 cash assistance with 99 beneficiaries;

General Luna – P297,000.00 cash assistance with 99 beneficiaries;

Pilar – P285,000.00 cash assistance with 95 beneficiaries;

San Isidro – P300,000.00 cash assistance with 100 beneficiaries;

Santa Monica – P297,000.00 cash assistance with 99 beneficiaries; and

Socorro – P294,000.00 cash assistance with 98 beneficiaries.

Staff of DSWD Field Office Caraga distributes the cash aid to a qualified beneficiary.

The AHON Convergence Program, implemented through Executive Order 137 (2021), is institutionalized as a platform for an enhanced and unified delivery of social amelioration services with the various special programs from the member-agencies. These member agencies include: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

DSWD was represented by Assistant Secretary for Special Concerns Victor Neri, together with DSWD Field Office Caraga OIC Regional Director Ramel F. Jamen, duly represented by the Department’s Protective Services Division (PSD) Chief, Jessie Catherine B. Aranas. In the course of the program, Aranas was able to interview two (2) beneficiaries who were eligible to receive assistive devices with the collaboration of the Department of Health (DOH) and DSWD.

PSD Chief, Jessie Catherine B. Aranas interviews one of the beneficiaries who is eligible to receive an assistive device.

Other implementing agencies were represented by the following: DA Assistant Secretary (ASEC) Kristine Y. Evangelista and DTI ASEC. Reveree Niño C. Contreras. Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar was also present on the event.

The mentioned implementing agencies have also given various assistance to the beneficiaries during the program. The DA gave seedlings and pump boat motor engines, whereas the DTI provided the “Pangkabuhayan sa Pagbangon at Ginhawa” program.

The National Government will continue to carry on with the AHON program to the remaining municipalities of Siargao on the following days to extend aid and social services to the most-affected communities in times of calamities, emergencies and as part of the response to assist families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.