THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will push for a pro-people agenda as it takes the leadership of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Council this year.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said on Sunday that the upcoming Asean-ASCC council meetings would include discussions on strategies to achieve resiliency and empowerment of families; inclusive development; responsible use of technologies and artificial intelligence (AI); and environmentally sustainable and food secure future.
The ASCC activities will be held on March 2-5, 2026 in Makati City with the hosting of the 35th ASCC Council Meeting and the 40th Senior Officials Committee for ASCC (SOCA), Assistant Secretary Juan Carlo Marquez, DSWD’s Policy and Planning Group (PPG) and concurrent agency co-spokesman, said.
Gatchalian said the DSWD’s agenda, which was approved by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for its ASCC leadership, is “RISE ASEAN,” which will carry out four priorities.
The four priorities are in the acronym of the word ‘RISE,’ which stands for Resilient and empowered families; Inclusive development; Smart youth and innovation; and Environmentally sustainable and food-secure future.
Marquez said the ASCC discussions will not only focus on the family as the basic unit of society but will also highlight the family as a significant institution for nurturing children.
The DSWD official stressed that the discussions will also cover all sectors to ensure inclusive development.
Digital resilience and consultations with the youth will also be carried out during the ASCC meetings to listen and learn from the experiences of the youth in handling technology, he pointed out.
On environmental sustainability and food security, Marquez said that the Philippines has been collaborating with other Asean member states on disaster response.
The DSWD officials emphasized that the forthcoming Asean hosting would be a great time to showcase what the Philippines can offer, which would also be vital for the tourism sector.
