DSWD-FO7 Establishes 24/7 Ops Center for SAP

The Department of Social Welfare and Development – Field Office VII operates a 24/7 operations center dedicated for the implementation of the Social Amelioration Program in Central Visayas.

This is part of the ongoing efforts of DSWD to facilitate, monitor, and review the timely provision of the assistance to eligible poor families through the 132 local government units in the region.

Prior to the memorandum regarding SAP from the Central Office has been released, DSWD-FO7 OpCen opened last March 24 in response to the Task Force for the Management on Emerging Infectious Disease in Central Visayas (IATF-MEID – 7) call for an operations center and that the DSWD, as a lead agency of the response cluster, will have to be ready because of the increasing COVID-19 cases in the region.

The 24/7 operations started when a memorandum was received by the office in the first week of April.

This OpCen served as operations hub dedicated for SAP implementation of DSWD where discussions on SAP happened as well as a central file of all the issuances, memorandum, guidelines and presentation materials on SAP.

Assistant Regional Director for Operations Shalaine Marie S. Lucero said that the OpCen is an avenue for small and focus group discussion, for consultation on how to approach specific concerns in the area and improve the operations, and for brainstorming on what are the strategies to conduct for a smooth and better operations.

“When we started, the meeting was every day. We institutionalized the 9 AM meeting because we see that while the operations were ongoing there were sprouting concerns,” Lucero said while they have now shifted to Monday meetings to focus more on monitored areas.

Meanwhile, The OpCen has also dedicated a grievance team tasked to answer inquiries, concerns, and complaints from the people through different platforms of their accessibility and convenience.

In the data reflected in the SAP Grievance Monitoring Tracker, from April 10 to May 22, the grievance team has received 37,875 Facebook chats, 1,498 emails, 2,703 calls, and 3,454 text messages.

Top inquiries and/or concerns received by the grievance team includes inquiries on qualifications, alleged inclusion errors, and alleged exclusion errors.

Lucero said that if there are concerns in relation to the program implementation, there are Technical Assistance and Resource Augmentation focal persons to oversee LGUs and connect to the Local Social Welfare Officers and Local Chief Executives.

The grievance officer coordinated with the TARA focal person of the specific LGU concerned to take immediate clarification and action to the matter.

To reach DSWD FO7 for SAP implementation inquiries and clarification, you may call at (032) 233-0261, 09177030967; text at 09189122813; email at sap.fo7@dswd.gov.ph; and chat at DSWD Region VII official Facebook page.