The University of the Philippines and the Department of Social Welfare and Development formalized their strategic partnership with the signing of a memorandum of understanding Feb. 2 at the DSWD Central Office, Quezon City.
The MOU focuses on strengthening social development outcomes through co-development and delivery of learning programs, courses, and social development interventions; strengthening of institutional, workforce, and community capacities; and generation, documentation, and application of evidence, good practices, and innovations.
In his message, UP President Angelo Jimenez said the MOU goes beyond institutional collaboration. ”It reflects our shared responsibility as government institutions to work together to model collaboration and good governance and to ensure that our collective efforts translate to meaningful outcomes for the most vulnerable sectors of our society.”
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian highlighted the agency’s field-based experience as a key contribution to the partnership. “We see things that may not exist in textbooks yet. We see stories, we see context that should be captured, documented, and studied carefully. That is something that we can offer you, a real-time point of view on the ground.”
The memorandum establishes a one-year strategic partnership between UP and DSWD. It shall be in effect unless otherwise determined with a written agreement by both parties.
