THE Department of Social Welfare and Development in Central Visayas (DSWD-7) is celebrating the agency’s 65th founding anniversary.
The celebration kicked off last Tuesday with a Mass at the DSWD-7 grounds. In his welcome remarks, Assistant Regional Director for Administration Marcial Fernandez recounted the historical background of the agency.
“Before we were known as the Social Welfare and Administration or SWA,” said Fernandez.
On May 1, 1968 the SWA became the Department of Social Welfare with the passage of the Social Welfare Act of 1968.
In 1976, DSW was renamed Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD). “When I entered DSSD in 1978, it was changed to Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD),” said Fernandez.
“In 1987, President Corazon Aquino issued Executive Order No. 123 that renamed the MSSD to Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD),” said Fernandez.
The culminating program today will honor local government units and partner stakeholders who have been instrumental in helping the department achieve its goals.