The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Central Office, through the Disaster Response Management Bureau (DRMB), facilitated a two-day Institutional Roll-out on the Comprehensive Emergency Program for Children (CEPC) for members of the Quick Response Team (QRT) of DSWD Field Office Caraga. The activity was held on September 8–9, 2025, at Watergate Hotel, Butuan City.

Resource persons Angel Roxas, SWO III, and Mary Rose Taganap, SWO III, of DRMB led the training sessions, supported by FO Caraga’s own experts, Krysta Ryedel Antoni-De Jose, RCWC Regional Coordinator, and Angel Bert Casimillo, SWO III. The sessions enhanced the participants’ knowledge and skills on child-centered disaster response.

The CEPC is designed to ensure the protection of children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers during disasters and emergencies by safeguarding their rights, meeting their basic and health needs, ensuring the continuity of education, and preventing abuse and exploitation.

Through this roll-out, the QRT of DSWD Field Office Caraga is now better equipped to lead the agency’s disaster response operations in the region.

The QRT serves as the front-line during emergencies, conducting rapid assessments, coordinating relief operations, monitoring the situation on the ground, and extending technical assistance to local government units to ensure that the welfare of children and other vulnerable groups remains a top priority.