The Department of Social Welfare and Development – Field Office Cordillera Administrative Region (DSWD FO CAR) has formalized a partnership with the Maximo B. Dalog Foundation, Inc. (MBDFI) to enhance the delivery of essential social services across Mountain Province. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed on 27 June 2025, in Paracelis, where DSWD- FO CAR Regional Director Maria A. Catbagan-Aplaten, PhD. and Atty. Cyphrine Maxcel Y. Dalog-Duclan of MBDFI committed to advancing initiatives in social, health, education, and youth development. The agreement specifically aims to improve access to social and healthcare services, provide scholarship assistance to indigent but deserving tertiary-level students, and implement capacity-building and youth development programs.
Regional Director Aplaten emphasized the importance of reaching communities and partnering with Social Welfare and Development Agencies (SWDAs). “We have to bring services closer to the people, and the government cannot do this alone. Internal collaboration among national and local instrumentalities must converge, and we need to acknowledge the fact that in our efforts to improve the lives of our constituents, collaboration with non-government organizations like MBDFI is a must.”, Aplaten shared.
As part of the partnership launch, DSWD FO CAR, and the MBDFI led a multi-agency outreach activity in Paracelis through Project M.A.R.T.H.A (Mobilizing Advocate, to Reach, to Transform, to Help All in need), various services to the local population in partnership with several agencies, including the Ifugao State University (IFSU) Eye Center, Mountain Province State University’s Nursing Department, Paracelis District Hospital, PhilHealth Mountain Province, the Department of Health (DOH), the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), PSA Mountain Province – PhilSys, the Rural Health Unit (RHU), the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO), and the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) of Paracelis.
The activity served 551 individuals through eye mission and PhilHealth Konsulta services, medical consultations to 51 clients, 60 individuals with PhilHealth membership registration or updating, and Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) registration to 76 residents. The activity also served as a venue for conducting Knowledge Sharing Sessions on various social services for older persons. Paracelis was identified as a priority municipality for this initiative, based on 2019 data from Listahanan—the national household targeting system used by DSWD to assess the socio-economic status of families. #DSWD FIELD OFFICE CAR, SOCIAL MARKETING UNIT, MEYNARD ALONZO PACLEBA, reports from Shirley N. Claver.
