Zamboanga city: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Zamboanga Peninsula Field Office (FO-9) has included Sulu in its social protection programs following the province's separation from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). 'Effective last year, after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. issued an executive order, we took over the operations of several special projects like the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), Social Pension (SocPen), Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP), Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), and other programs that the DSWD implements like AICS (Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation),' FO-9 Regional Director Riduan Hadjimuddin said in a radio interview on Wednesday.
According to Philippines News Agency, in 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that the province of Sulu is not part of the BARMM. President Marcos Jr. issued Executive Order 91 on July 30, 2025, declaring Sulu as part of the Zamboanga Peninsula Region. Hadjimuddin said more than 200 personnel formerly implementing the DSWD programs in BARMM were also transferred to FO-9.
'Ang una nating na-absorb ay workers ng mga special projects natin o yung mga non-regular (We first absorbed workers of special projects or the non-regulars). These are contract-of-service workers, such as those working under 4Ps. There are more than 200 of them, and they were absorbed starting in March of last year. Of course, also those in Social Pension, Sustainable Livelihood Program, Supplementary Feeding Program, and, of course, AICS,' he said.
The DSWD official added that there are 59 remaining personnel implementing the DSWD programs and services that are still under and reporting to the BARMM Ministry of Social Services and Development. DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian has earlier instructed the FO-9 to secure contractual or regular positions for the remaining personnel.
'The Secretary has instructed us to look for available contractual and regular positions, if possible, to absorb these 59 for 2026, because the governor and vice governor committed to absorbing these 59 employees by 2027,' he explained.