DSWD6 welcomes 257 newly-hired 4Ps staff through Oath-Taking Ceremony

ILOILO City – A total of 257 newly-hired personnel of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office VI under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) took their oath of office today before OIC-Regional Director Joselito G. Estember at the agency’s compound in Molo district here.

The new staff, hired as Project Development Officer II and designated as City/Municipal Links (C/MLs), will be deployed across the provinces of Western Visayas to serve as case managers for 4Ps beneficiaries starting this month.

According to 4Ps Division Chief Belen P. Gebusion, the additional manpower will strengthen the current 781 strong workforce of the division and significantly ease the workload of existing C/MLs.

“The addition of 257 staff is very significant as it will greatly reduce the number of households managed by each case manager,” Gebusion said.

She noted that with reduced caseloads, case managers will now have more time to closely monitor the real conditions of household beneficiaries through home visits, facilitate program activities and undertake appropriate case management interventions.

Gebusion added that the current case ratio has improved, with each staff now handling between 212 and 292 households much lower compared to previous caseloads.

“This is timely in relation to the 4th coming and exiting of the 4Ps households. Much as we really want to make sure that before they leave the program after their 7th year residency, these households will be properly managed and assisted by our newly hired PDOs,” she emphasized.

ORIENTATION

Before the formal oath-taking, Ryan de la Gente, Chief of the Human Resource Management Development Division (HRMDD), discussed the vital roles and responsibilities of 4Ps case workers, describing them as the agency’s “Angels in Red Vests.”

De la Gente stressed that 4Ps is more than a program, it is a mandate to serve, uplift, and empower. He reaffirmed DSWD’s mission to build a society where the poor have equitable access to a better quality of life.

He also underscored the relevance of the agency’s hashtag #BawatBuhayMahalagaSaDSWD, which reflects the principle that every life matters. He explained that the DSWD logo embodies this philosophy: the heart represents vulnerable sectors and beneficiaries, while the hands symbolize the shared responsibility of government and private partners, an emblem of care, compassion, and empowerment at the core of the agency’s service. (Photos and text by Paul Andrie A. Farrol, WVSU Intern) mgc