Manila: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has provided a wide array of comprehensive services to 507 trafficked persons during the first quarter of 2026.
According to Philippines News Agency, DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said victim-survivors of human trafficking received interventions and assistance under the department's Recovery and Reintegration Program for Trafficked Persons (RRPTP).
'The DSWD serves as the co-chair of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT). Part of our mandate is to ensure that we provide social protection services to human trafficking survivors to help them recover from the traumatic incident they experienced,' Dumlao said in a report Tuesday.
Based on DSWD data, social workers facilitated the immediate reintegration of 432 individuals into their families and communities, while 58 victim-survivors were referred to the Tahanan Iyong Pag-Asa Center or appropriate centers and residential care facilities (CRCFs), primarily to provide temporary protective custody for high-risk situations, children, and instances of Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC).
Among the services extended to the victim-survivors were rescue, counseling, financial assistance, skills training, auxiliary services, temporary shelter, and legal aid.
For psychosocial counseling, some 410 victim-survivors were given psychosocial counseling as part of the initial intervention during rescue operations.
Under the RRPTP, the department also provides training, temporary shelter through DSWD-managed CRCFs, and auxiliary services for trafficking victims and witnesses in ongoing cases.
Aside from services, the DSWD, through its field offices, provided over PHP1.8 million worth of financial assistance to 281 victim-survivors.
The types of financial assistance range from livelihood, employment facilitation, medical assistance, educational assistance, support for victims/witnesses, and transportation assistance.
'Upon the orders of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the DSWD will continue to strengthen its social protection initiatives, aiming to secure a more inclusive development path for vulnerable and marginalized groups,' Dumlao said.
