By Brian Campued
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has assured that it would continue to reach out to more families and individuals in street situations (FISS) as incidences of vagrancy and street begging are expected to rise during the holiday season.
In a press release Monday, the DSWD stressed the need to ramp up proactive interventions to protect vulnerable sectors from the risks associated with street living.
This as the DSWD, through its Pag-abot Program, has rescued and extended assistance to a total of 10,570 children, individuals, and families living on the streets as of Dec. 12, 2025.
Beneficiaries were provided with interventions such as shelter in transitional facilities, referrals to DSWD residential care centers, transportation assistance for those returning to their home provinces, and livelihood packages to reduce the risk of returning to street life.
“Tuloy-tuloy po ito, hanggang sa dumating ang panahon na wala na tayong makikitang naninirahan sa kalsada, hindi po kami titigil sa pagtulong. Kaya asahan pa ‘yung pagtaas ng bilang ng aming mari-reach out,” DSWD Spokesperson ASec. Irene Dumlao said.
The Pag-abot Program has a processing center in Nasdake Building, a former Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub in Pasay City that also houses the Walang Gutom Kitchen, which serves hot meals to FISS.
The agency also urged the public to help protect at-risk individuals and families through the DSWD Pag-abot Program Facebook page, hotline 8-931-9141, or email ([email protected]).
The DSWD previously appealed to the public to refrain from giving alms to homeless families and members of indigenous peoples’ groups on the streets, noting that appropriate forms of assistance through organized activities are needed to encourage FISS and IPs to stop their mendicancy.
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