PHILIPPINES HOPE 4TH EAMFF BUILDS CONTEXTUALISING SOCIAL PROTECTION STRATEGIES

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 (Bernama) -- The Philippines hoped that the 4th East Asia
Ministerial Forum on Family (EAMFF) would build on not only contextualising
social protection strategies for each of the participating countries but also
support each other's strategies while underlining the participation of the
families themselves as a long-term development mechanism.

Philippine’s Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD) Corazon Juliano-Soliman said with the new learnings that the forum would
share, it would be able to come up with viable policy and program indicators to
encourage the adoption and expansion of the approach.

"The Philippines remains to be committed to prioritising the delivery of
national strategies to promote family resiliency through social protection.

"We are grateful to be part of the 4th EAMFF as a timely opportunity to share
and exchange experiences and encourge collaboration of best practices between
the participating countries," she said at EAMFF's Senior Officials Forum, here
Monday.

The forum was chaired by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry
Secretary-General Dr Noorul Ainur Mohd Nur.

Juliano-Soliman said the Philippine government through DSWD and its partner
agencies continued to be persistent in delivering its commitment to the total
development of the Filipino family through its Social Protection (SP) strategy.

"The SP strategy is made possible by implementing national programmes adopting
the Labour Market Interventions, Social Insurance, Social Welfare and Social
Safety Nets components.

"These components assist poor families to be resilient against the risks brought
by poverty, hunger and malnutrition, disease, man-made and natural disasters and
even hopelessness.

"These programs do not just target vulnerable families and provide social
protection services, but also aim to empower them to become active and
responsible partners in uplifting their right to better opportunities including
their right to live with optimism and dignity," she said.

The three-day biennial forum, attended by all the Asean member countries as well
as Australia, China, Korea and Timor Leste, is hosted by Women, Family and
Community Development Ministry.
-- BERNAMA