President Bongbong Marcos led the inauguration of the Pag-Abot Processing Center in Cebu, underscoring the administration’s drive to expand support for people living on the streets through coordinated social protection services.
Government data show that more than 600 individuals experiencing homelessness have been recorded in Cebu by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The agency is implementing the Pag-Abot Program to assist families and individuals in street situations by connecting them to health care, food, clothing, psychosocial services, livelihood assistance, temporary shelter, and structured reintegration efforts.
Launched in 2023 and institutionalized in 2024, the Pag-Abot Program is carried out by the DSWD in partnership with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and local government units. The initiative also works to enroll eligible beneficiaries in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and other national social protection interventions to help them transition toward stable living conditions.
During the visit, President Marcos received a briefing from DSWD Secretary REX Gatchalian and toured the facility’s key areas, including the clinic, beneficiary assessment and profiling section, biometric registration, clothing distribution and laundry facilities, kitchen and dining hall, administrative office, senior citizens’ room, isolation room, and designated prayer and activity spaces.
He also inspected the second-floor amenities such as the child-minding and multi-purpose rooms, lactation room, house parents’ quarters, sleeping areas for male, female, and family beneficiaries, and communal bathrooms. Joining the President were DSWD Secretary Rex T. Gatchalian, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, Cebu 5th District Representative Vincent Franco Frasco, Liloan Mayor Aljew Frasco, and Vice Mayor Margarita Frasco.
