BUTUAN CITY—The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office Caraga, through its Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), convened the second Regional Technical Sharing Session (RTSS) on June 10–11, 2025, at the Mazaua Balanghai Convention Center. The two‑day event brought together staff from the Regional Program Management Office (RPMO) and all Provincial Operations Offices (POOs) across Caraga to review program implementation, exchange technical guidance, and identify challenges and solutions.
During the opening plenary, DSWD Caraga Division Chief Crislea D. Celeste outlined the session’s core objectives: to update participants on the Department’s Thrusts and Priorities, OPC Targets, and the GRACE 2025 Operational Plan; assess progress in 4Ps implementation; showcase innovative practices at regional, provincial, and municipal levels; and address critical field‑level issues. Provincial links and section heads then presented their second‑quarter accomplishments, prompting Ms. Celeste to commend high‑performing teams and urge staff to strengthen monitoring, ensure data accuracy, and maintain proactive communication with national counterparts.
In a bid to institutionalize knowledge sharing, Ms. Celeste called for all emerging innovations—whether from the regional office, POOs, or Municipal Operations Offices (MOOs)—to be documented for inclusion in a dedicated knowledge management library, reinforcing Caraga’s reputation as the “Region of Innovations.”
A key highlight of the session was the formal installation of two new section heads: Idamabel Labapiez, who will lead the Institutional Partnership and Program Assessment Section, and Frances May Ordeniza, appointed to head the Data Integrity Assurance Section. Their appointments, ratified by DSWD Caraga leadership, are expected to bolster the region’s capacity in both strategic partnerships and data quality assurance.
On June 10, Atty. Bryan Y. Rubio, Legal Officer of DSWD, delivered the third installment of the CARTalk Webinar Series—part of the Department’s observance of Ease of Doing Business Month. Titled “Beyond Compliance: Living the Public Servant’s Code,” the webinar underscored the agency’s commitment to ethical governance, transparency, and accountability.
The session also featured a virtual scorecard checkpointing meeting with the National Program Management Office (NPMO), during which Caraga reported its accomplishments and discussed hurdles in aligning regional efforts with national priorities. Participants reviewed Harmonized Individual Performance Commitment and Review Form (IPCRF) targets for the second semester, candidly acknowledging which targets remained relevant and identifying those no longer applicable.
To recognize exemplary performance, the DSWD Caraga leadership awarded Certificates of Recognition to the Top Performing Provinces for their outstanding OPC and scorecard results, as well as to individual staff members whose contributions stood out in the first semester of 2025. The RTSS concluded with Division Chief Celeste’s closing message, in which she invoked the Japanese philosophy of Kintsugi—mending broken pottery with gold—to illustrate how challenges can strengthen unity and enhance collective resilience. Participants then joined in singing “Lakad ng Buhay,” the 4Ps community song, to reaffirm their shared commitment to growth and perseverance.
