TACLOBAN CITY -- The Philippine Red Cross (PRC), through its seven chapters in Eastern Visayas region, inked a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) field office in strengthening and capacitating Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) recipients.
The PRC Secretary General Oscar Palabyab and DSWD Regional Director Restituto Macuto signed the MOA on Saturday together with key PRC officials from the region’s six provinces at La Rica Hotel in this city.
The 4Ps beneficiaries in the region are encouraged to voluntarily become Red Cross members.
The PRC will collaborate with the DSWD through the family development sessions in protecting life and restoring human dignity in all the seven chapters in Leyte-Tacloban, Southern Leyte, Hilongos, Leyte, Ormoc City, Western Samar, Northern Samar, and Eastern Samar.
The PRC is bound to provide capability building activities to the 4Ps beneficiaries based on their expertise, which include disaster management services, health services, welfare services, safety services and blood services.
“This is a milestone for DSWD as well as PRC. We cannot do it alone in capacitating the most vulnerable in the communities,” Macuto said.
According to Palabyab, the partnership of PRC and DSWD goes a long way. It started in the 1990’s when the PRC distributed the rice from DSWD for the people during calamities.
“Both agencies have similar goals of alleviating human suffering, we complement each other. While DSWD has food stocked at their food terminal ready for distribution in times of calamity, the PRC has non- food items such as blankets, mosquito nets, among others ready for distribution,” Palabyab said.
The Philippine Red Cross is the largest humanitarian organization in the country and served as auxiliary to the government.
It has built 20,000 houses in Tacloban City, Leyte, Samar and Eastern Samar in the aftermath of supertyphoon Yolanda (Haiyan) and distributed millions of liters of water, food and non-food items, unconditional cash assistance of P5,000 to P15,000, constructed school buildings, health centers and provided livelihood programs in Samar and Leyte provinces. (PNA)