MANILA - Department of Social Welfare Department Secretary Rex Gatchalian appealed to the public on Tuesday not to give alms to beggars or families living in the streets this Yuletide season.

Gatchalian said they have satellite offices in different parts of Metro Manila that are willing to accept donations for these families.

“Ang panawagan namin sa publiko, ‘pag nakakakita tayo ng mga kapwa natin na nangangailangan ng tulong, yung mga pamilyang nasa lansangan, agad-agad na bukal sa ating loob na nag-aabot tayo ng tulong. Pero alam natin yung kagandahang loob na yun ay puwede naman nating gawin sa mas organisadong pamamaraan. Sana kung gusto nating tumulong, huwag nating gawin sa lansangan, kasi delikado sa kanila,” he said, adding that they have teams ready to assist families in the streets that need help.

He made the appeal during the launch of their agency's Oplan Pag-Abot hotline number 8-931-9141, which aims to help families on the streets who want to go back to the home provinces.

Gatchalian added they can also be reached through their official social media accounts on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) @oplanpag-abot, or through their email address oplanpagabot@dswd.govph.

Gatchalian and DSWD Undersecretary for Innovations Edu Punay are overseeing the special reach-out operations for families and individuals in street situations (FISS) in their temporary mega processing center at EDSA corner White Plains in Quezon City.

The temporary processing center covers the simultaneous reach-out operations in the cities of Pasig, Quezon, Mandaluyong, and San Juan from December 1 to 31, 2023.

The program, Gatchalian said, is under the agency’s Oplan Pag-Abot project dubbed as “Pag-Abot sa Pasko”. He said, the center is open to all interested individuals who want to conduct gift giving acitvities for the FISS instead of on the streets.

The Pag-Abot program, according to Gatchalian, was launched in July in Metro Manila in coordination with different local government units.

“Sa huling talaan namin as of December 1, we have close to 1,500 families or individuals in this situation of which 900 of those ang nagpahayag na mag-reach out ibig sabihin, nasa care facilities namin, natulungan natin sa balik probinsiya, naibalik natin sa kanilang mga pamilya,” he said.

He said Oplan Pag-Abot is different from the “Balik Probinsiya” program of the past administration.

Aside from the transportation allowance for beneficiaries, the DSWD also provides livelihood packages.

“Yung dating balik probinsiya, wala siyang reach out arm. Ang nangyari doon, ikaw lalapit sa departamento pag gusto mong umuwi ng probinsya. Dito baligtad, tayo ang aabot at yung serbisyo ang dadalhin natin sa kanila,” Gatchalian explained.

“Mayroon silang livelihood package that will be given to them in the field or in the province already. Our regional office will be the one paying them out and then monitoring nun yung regional office na rin namin. So will make sure na yung pera na binigay sa kanila napunta talaga sa hanapbuhay,” he added.

The DSWD has P200 million budget for the project for 2023, and Gatchalian said this will rise to P300 million in 2024.