DAVAO DEL NORTE (PIA) -- The Panabo City government is pioneering the Mindanao implementation of the Strengthening Opportunities for Lone Parents (SOLo) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Mayor Jose Relampagos entered into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with DSWD Assistant Secretary for Statutory Programs Ada A. Colico, who is also the concurrent alternate chairperson of the Inter-Agency Coordinating and Monitoring Committee (IACMC) for the Expanded Solo Parents Act, on March 14 at the PGEMPC Hall in Panabo City

Other signatories to the MOA were DSWD Regional Director Vanessa Goc-ong, Panabo City Social Welfare Officer Charena Joy Lacuin, and DSWD Social Technology Bureau Director Marcelo Nicomedes Castillo.

“As your IACMC Alternate Chairperson, I assure you that I will encourage all member agencies to actively engage and back the pilot testing, ensuring favorable outcomes during the program evaluation. This will ensure bridging the gaps faced by solo parents across the country," Colico said.

DSWD sets out to  make sure that key stakeholders and pioneering  implementers, including the local government of Panabo City, are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to run the SOLo program through a comprehensive training set in Cebu City from March 18 to 23, 2024. (JMDA/PIA Davao del Norte/ With report and photos from DSWD XI)