Pavia: The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Western Visayas (DSWD-6) is aiming to implement three social protection programs in the region this year. DSWD-6 Regional Director Joselito Estember, in an interview, said the department continuously advocates for social programs that are ready for implementation.

According to Philippines News Agency, Estember stated that they target three programs that hopefully will be adopted by local government units (LGUs) in the region. These include the Tara Basa Tutoring Program for indigent college students, Project Aruga for persons with disabilities (PWD), and ProtecTEEN for adolescent mothers, aimed at addressing teenage pregnancy. ProtecTEEN is being piloted in Iloilo City, covering 70 beneficiaries, and is currently undergoing monitoring and impact assessment. Project Aruga was piloted in San Jose de Buenavista in Antique, and it has received a positive impact assessment result from the Asian Development Bank.

Estember highlighted the importance of local government units adopting these programs, especially since the PWD sector receives limited services from local governments. The Tara Basa program is slated for a pilot in Iloilo province to complement family and youth development centers established by LGUs. Undersecretary Eduardo Punay mentioned that the Innovations Caravan provided a venue for local governments to express their interest in replicating beneficial programs for their constituents, with many LGUs showing interest in the Tara Basa program due to its focus on education.

Punay noted the challenge of limited budget for the Tara Basa program, as it is newly developed. The strategy involves partnering with local governments to provide counterpart funding. The program offers college students serving as tutors a grant equivalent to one month of regional minimum wage for a 20-day session. To qualify, tutors must be listed in the community-based monitoring system.