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PASIG CITY, October 27, 2022 – The Department of Education (DepEd), through the Public Affairs Service – Public Assistance Action Center (PAS-PAAC), led the 2022 National Seminar and Planning Workshop of DepEd Public Assistance Coordinators (PACs) to strengthen their commitment to delivering quality and satisfactory public services.

In his keynote message, Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III called for effective and efficient public assistance delivery among DepEd personnel, particularly PACs.

“All of us must be onboard to be able to hear the cries of the public, to hear the complaints of our fellow Filipinos, address them, verify them. If it’s true, let’s address them right away, as fast as we can, as effective as we can. Because that’s the only way for us to say that government is working for and on behalf of the people, that government’s work is felt by the people,” Usec. Densing said.

Usec. Densing also emphasized the intent to localize the 8888 Citizens’ Complaint Hotline for a faster and more efficient way of addressing concerns and issues and to bring to mind Republic Act 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business Law, which also created the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA).

Meanwhile, DepEd Spokesperson Atty. Michael Poa commended PACs for holding the frontline and counted on them to be more capacitated by the end of the seminar-workshop.

“Kayo ang ating frontline. Lahat po ng hinaing, lahat po ng mga problema, kayo po talaga ‘yung sumasalo at unang dumudunog pagdating sa field. At talaga pong na-a-appreciate natin lahat ng efforts niyo. Under the administration of the Vice President and Secretary of Education, alam niyo naman na ang gusto natin ay aksyon agad po talaga tayo,” Atty. Poa said.

“That’s why napaka-importante po ng ating frontline, napaka-importante po ng ginagawa niyo sa araw-araw para po matulungan natin ang ating stakeholders, ang ating mga learners, pati na rin po ang ating guro, and of course, the general public,” he added.

Moreover, DepEd Child Protection Unit Officer-in-Charge Suzette Gannaban-Medina also ensured that all child protection-related incidents reported are immediately acted upon by the Department through the Learners’ Telesafe Center.

The event has also engaged the assistance of oversight agencies to discuss the different portals of public assistance as well as identify issues and gaps concerning the public assistance of the Department as a reference in direction setting and development plan.

Representatives from the Department’s Bureau of Human Resource and Organizational Development (BHROD), the Office of the President, and ARTA also graced the event.

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