In their desire to provide faster and more coherent delivery of service, the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) conducted the 2023 Field Evaluation and Assessment of Grievance, Referrals, Compliance, Planning and Fund Management Activities led by the National Program Management Office on April 25-27, 2023.
The primary objective of the three-day activity is to ensure that the program’s resources, activities, initiatives, targets, and overall performance are properly managed. The SLP-NPMO designed the activity to identify observations and implications and provide recommendations for compliance and developing processes and systems.
On the first day, the SLP NPMO led by Section Head of the Compliance, Planning, and Fund Management Section Joseph H. Lagman paid a courtesy call to Field Office Caraga Regional Director Mari-Flor A. Dollaga who warmly welcomed the team and assured them that the Field Office is ready to assist them with the activity to make it successful. Aside from Director Dollaga, the NPMO also met with OIC-Asst. Regional Director for Operations and Chief of Promotive Services Division Jean Paul S. Parajes to give him a brief rundown of the activities that will transpire in the three-day evaluation.
During the field visit and spot check evaluation, the NPMO was joined and assisted by the Regional Program Management Office (RPMO) and Agusan del Norte Provincial Operations Office (POO) of Field Office Caraga. In Cabadbaran City, the team had a focused group discussion with the Mabini Laundry SLP Association. Association members shared their group’s history, operations status, financial records, and innovations/good practices. Mabini Laundry Shop SLPA was organized and served by the program in 2016.
Aside from the Mabini Laundry Shop SLPA, Emma Lanapan of Sitio Lekda, Barangay Simbalan in Buenavista was also interviewed by the team. Mrs. Lanapan was provided with a livelihood intervention by SLP, through its Zero Hunger Project-Program Convergence Budgeting last December 20, 2022. She received an amount of PhP15,000 which she used as a seed capital fund to establish a food-processing project.
Further, the team also paid courtesy visits to the respective local government units of Cabadbaran City and Buenavista. Representing Mayor Judy Chin Amante, Executive Assistant Gentor V. Tac-On welcomed the delegation and expressed his gratitude to the program for the interventions it has extended to its constituents. While in Buenavista, Mayor Joselito T. Roble accommodated the team and discussed the implementation of SLP in the municipality, as well as future plans.
On the last day of the activity, a final round of focused group discussion with the RPMO was conducted by the NPMO. The NPMO presented their observations, assessments, and inputs gathered during the discussions with the selected SLP staff and program participants on the field. Regional Program Coordinator Renante G. Abendanio responded to the evaluation results and also presented innovations or actions made by the regional office to achieve a comprehensive work process or system.
OIC-Asst. Regional Director for Operations Jean Paul S. Parajes participated in the activity as well and joined the team during the exit conference in the afternoon. The results of this activity will be used by the NPMO to strengthen and refine the current grievance, referrals, compliance, planning and fund management process or system of the SLP. (Social Marketing Section/DSWD Field Office Caraga)
