Policy and funding purpose
- The program is anchored on the philosophy of “Kasaganaan para sa lahat, lalo na sa mahihirap.”
- The 1999 General Appropriations Act provides PHP 300 Million for the Lingap Para sa Mahihirap Program Fund to be used exclusively to satisfy the minimum basic needs of poor communities and the disadvantaged sectors through the DSWD, specifically through Protective Services for Children and Youth.
- The 1999 General Appropriations Act requires that Congress must be consulted before funds can be released under the Lingap Fund.
- The Order directs that protective service priorities emphasize day care centers through the consultation process described in the implementing structure.
- Executive Order No. 92 (issued 12 April 1999) by President Joseph Ejercito Estrada provides the governing framework for the Lingap Para sa Mahihirap Program Fund guidelines and institutional arrangements; this Order issues the DSWD department implementing guidelines and arrangements.
Oversight, governance, and target principles
- The DSWD must submit to the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) policy oversight authority for matters related to the Lingap Fund under Section 1.
- The program’s administration follows these governing principles under Section 2:
- The DSWD targets the 100 poorest families per province and city identified by Local Government Units (LGUs) and the barangays identified by the National Security Council as priority beneficiaries of Protective Services for Children and Youth under the Lingap Fund.
- As next priority, the DSWD targets the localities identified by individual legislators.
- The DSWD must build information, education, communication, and social preparation activities into project design to ensure target beneficiaries are ready to participate.
- The DSWD must, as far as practicable, converge services with other implementing agencies in urban and rural areas where the National Housing Authority and Local Water Utilities Administration have targeted projects.
Technical working group and advisory board
- The DSWD Lingap Para sa Mahihirap Technical Working Group provides administrative and technical support to the DSWD Project Advisory Board under Section 3.
- A DSWD Project Advisory Board is created under Section 4 to determine:
- Policies and procedures for incorporation into the Implementing Department Guidelines contained in the Order.
- Target beneficiaries identified in cooperation with LGUs and concerned legislators.
- Project sites and the projects to be implemented in each project site.
- Implementing and Support Agencies for each project.
- Information, education and communication programs for beneficiaries’ social preparation, if necessary.
- A project monitoring and evaluation system.
- The Project Advisory Board composition under Section 4 includes:
- The Secretary of the DSWD as Board Chair.
- Three NAPC Sectoral Representatives (or alternates), designated by the NAPC Vice-Chairperson for the Private Sector.
- Representatives from the Social Welfare and Development Committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
- The Undersecretaries and Assistant Secretaries of the DSWD (or alternates).
- The Board must ensure consultation and input consideration by the Social Welfare and Development Committees in identifying project sites and beneficiaries and allocating funds.
- The Board must consult individual legislators as needed, including legislators whose districts do not cover the 100 poorest families in each province and city; their inputs must be considered even if allocations for their districts are less than allocations for the 100 poorest families in every province and city.
Lingap Fund Office role and administrative costs
- The Lingap Fund Office assists the DSWD Secretary in managing the Lingap Para sa Mahihirap Protective Services for Children and Youth Fund under Section 5.
- The Lingap Fund Office reports directly to the DSWD Secretary and performs these functions under Section 5:
- Enforce the Implementing Guidelines for the Protective Services for Children and Youth Program.
- Ensure project proposals for approval meet minimum requirements under the Implementing Guidelines.
- Develop a menu of projects within the DSWD mandate adaptable to target beneficiaries and/or localities; project prototypes may be derived from successful experiences of the DSWD, other national agencies or corporations, LGUs, NGOs, and other sources.
- Facilitate release and monitor utilization of program funds and oversee progress of projects.
- Prepare quarterly feedback reports on the status of the DSWD Lingap Fund for submission to the NAPC on or before the 30th of the month following each quarter.
- The project menu must prioritize establishment, maintenance, and/or operation of day care centers, unless the appropriate LG executives and/or members of Congress with jurisdiction recommend another protective service for children or youth, in which case their input must be considered.
- The DSWD allocates administrative cost of not more than PHP 15 Million under Section 6, subject to accounting and auditing rules and regulations.
- The DSWD Advisory Board formulates separate guidelines for utilization of the administrative cost under Section 6.
Implementing guidelines approval and publication
- The DSWD Project Advisory Board must recommend the Implementing Guidelines contained in the Order for approval by the NAPC Program Advisory Committee through a Resolution as soon as practicable under Section 7.
- After approval, the Implementing Guidelines must be published by the DSWD in at least one paper of national circulation under Section 7.
- The DSWD Project Advisory Board and the NAPC Program Advisory Committee must undertake a periodic review of the Implementing Guidelines and agree on necessary revisions under Section 8.
Protective services menu and project content
Protective Services for children and youth are immediate interventions to a child/youth below 18 years of age to ensure protection from abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Protective services are developmental, preventive and rehabilitative in nature.
Protective services must be implemented in identified priority target areas through the following assistance menu in Attachment “A”:
Day Care Service (Menu 1: Augmentation Fund Support)
- A Day Care Service provides supplementary parental care for parents who find it difficult to fully take care of their children during part of the day or the night due to work or other reasons.
- The Day Care Service is an integral component of the child’s basic rights to survival, protection, participation and development.
- The Day Care Service is pursued under Republic Act 6972 (the “Barangay-Level-Total Development and Protection of Children Act”), which provides for a Day Care Center in every Barangay.
- The estimated reach is 30 children per day care session or 60 children at any given time (morning and afternoon session).
- Augmentation fund support for a Day Care Service is PHP 150,000.00–PHP 200,000.00 and may be used for any or a combination of:
- purchase of supplies and materials for repair, upgrading, and setting up of Day Care Center (tables, chairs, cabinets, etc.);
- Food-for-Work/Cash-for-Work for parents/volunteers involved in repair, upgrading, and setting up;
- purchase of program materials (educational toys, storybooks, play fixtures, and other reference materials);
- operations of a center (subsidies of Day Care Worker/Aide);
- capability building activities (trainings, etc.).
Child/Youth Crisis Services (Menu 2: Augmentation Fund Support)
- A Child/Youth Crisis Service provides integrated immediate medico, legal, and psycho-social services to children/youth requiring protection whose conditions demonstrate observable evidence of injurious effects from failure to meet basic needs.
- Crisis conditions include, but are not limited to, abandonment, neglect, sexual abuse, exploitation, maltreatment, and related circumstances.
- Crisis Services are usually provided in a designated center staffed by 3 Social Workers, 1 Clerk, and Community Volunteers (preferably members of the local council for the protection of children/youth).
- Augmentation fund support may be used for any or a combination of:
- purchase of supplies and materials for setting-up, repair, upgrading, and operationalization of a Crisis Center;
- Food-for-Work/ Cash-for-Work for parents/volunteers involved in repair, upgrading, and setting up;
- purchase of program materials (therapeutic toys/books/games, play fixtures, and other reference materials);
- operations of a center (subsidies of Crisis Center Worker/Aide);
- capability building activities (trainings, etc.).
Other protective services/interventions
- Other protective services/interventions for children and youth include basic services/interventions determined by the LGU.
Early detection & prevention
- Early detection & prevention includes information and public education activities that raise awareness in protecting children/youth rights and welfare.
- Activities include conduct of dialogues, assemblies, seminars or other for child/youth abuse, neglect, and exploitation; and production of communication aids (posters, brochures, flyers, primers).
Treatment & rehabilitation
- Treatment & rehabilitation includes organization of peer support/survivor groups or parents’ groups to assist rehabilitation efforts.
- Treatment & rehabilitation includes psychological and psychiatric interventions through referrals for tests/assessment and therapeutic sessions to determine aptitudes, capacities, interests, and behavioral problems to facilitate treatment per individual needs.
- Treatment & rehabilitation includes medical services through referrals for medico-legal examinations, hospitalization, and medical treatment if indicated.
- Treatment & rehabilitation includes legal services through referrals for free legal services connected with the victim, including litigation of perpetrator and termination of parental authority.
- Treatment & rehabilitation includes self employment assistance through capability building and skills training assistance enabling the child/youth and family to engage in income-producing activities to alleviate financial difficulties and improve economic conditions.
- Treatment & rehabilitation includes child placement services through alternative family care such as adoption or foster care for children whose parents have been deprived temporarily or permanently of parental authority by the Court.
- Treatment & rehabilitation includes educational assistance through provision of materials and financial assistance such as school uniforms, supplies, tuition fees for skills or vocational training (automotive, electronics, and others).
- Treatment & rehabilitation includes other protective social services for children and youth as recommended.
LGU counterpart and fund release workflow
For Day Care Service and Youth Crisis Service, the LGU must provide a permanent lot/site for the center under Attachment “A,” B. LGU COUNTERPART.
Funds release and tracking follow Attachment “A,” C. FUND RELEASES AND TRACKING:
Pre-release requirements and DBM role
- DBM releases funds to DSWD only after DSWD submits the approved guidelines and corresponding Work and Financial Plan under the framework referenced to Executive Order No. 92 (series of 1999).
- The Work and Financial Plan must contain:
- program fund components (menu mix) and related expenditures;
- administrative activities and related expenditures.
- Submission must also include:
- a summary of Regional Fund Allocation by Province, City and District;
- listing of projects by regions, specific locality beneficiaries, amount per project, and implementing agencies.
- DBM issues the Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) to DSWD amounting to PHP 300 Million.
Sub-allotment, cash allocation, and transfers
- After receipt of SARO for Lingap Para sa Mahihirap (LPM), the DSWD Lingap Fund Office coordinates sub-allotment of Regional Fund Allocation to DSWD regional offices for both program components and administrative support, and the corresponding cash allocation.
- The National Lingap Fund Office releases funds to regional field offices based on their WFP.
- Transfer of program funds is effected in accordance with a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed between the DSWD Regional Office and the LGUs to undertake the project or activity by themselves with the concurrence of the representative of the legislative district concerned (Section 85, GAA).
- Such transfer must be taken up in the books of accounts as grants and subsidies to the LGUs.
- Regional Field Offices release funds to LGUs based on submission of project proposals reviewed and endorsed by the city/municipal/interagency/provincial interagency.
- Those interagencies must be informed in writing of actions taken on proposals, including required revisions, amount of releases, or disapproval.
- DSWD Regional Office must immediately transfer program funds to concerned LGUs provided the MOA between the DSWD-Regional Office and the LGU/NGAs is duly signed and notarized.
- LGU/NGAs must liquidate funds to concerned regional offices and submit a Monthly Report of Funds Utilized duly certified by the local accountant to the DSWD Regional Office.
Use restrictions, administrative support reimbursement, and ARMM coverage
- Funds must be utilized for the purpose for which they were released and/or transferred and for no other purpose unless a request for modification of the Work and Financial Plan has been made and duly approved by DSWD.
- Administrative fund support allocated to LGUs is processed on a reimbursement basis at the DSWD Regional Office subject to usual accounting and auditing rules and regulations.
- For the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), DSWD Central Office must enter into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Office of the Regional Governor (ORG-ARMM) for implementation in the four provinces of Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao and Lanao Del Sur.
Monitoring, evaluation, inspections, and reporting cadence
- Municipal/City governments implement Lingap Sa Mahihirap projects under Attachment “A,” D. PROJECT MONITORING AND EVALUATION.
- DSWD field offices, Provincial/City Social Welfare and Development Office (P/CSWDO) and/or the basic sector must jointly conduct periodic site inspections and report accomplishments to DSWD Central on or before the 15th of the month following the quarter, using the format designed for this purpose.
- The Lingap Fund Office must regularly monitor utilization of program funds in coordination with the DSWD Regional Office.
- The M/CSWDO or NGA must submit a copy of the report to the Municipal/City Interagency (M/C IAC) for children and youth which needs resolution.
- The LGU must provide the consolidated report to the Regional DSWD for review, consolidation, and submission to the DSWD National Lingap Fund Office.
- A quarterly feedback report on the status of the DSWD Lingap Fund must be prepared by the Lingap Fund Office for submission to the NAPC on or before the 30th of the month following each quarter, using the prescribed accounting forms and other special report forms that the Program Advisory Board requires.
- A mid-implementation review of project implementation and fund utilization must be conducted to identify and resolve possible gaps in project guidelines and implementation.
- Revision and/or recommendations must be submitted to the Secretary, as head of the Program Advisory Board, for endorsement to the Program Advisory Board.