The Visayas Primary Healthcare Services was recently notified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development that is a resource agency and not a community-based social welfare and development agency. On August 16, 2019, the VPHCS was given a certificate of registration and certificate of license to operate after it returned to the DSWD the joint certificate that it received in June 2018.
The certificate of registration is valid as long as the SEC registration is valid while the certificate of license to operate is valid until 2021.
The notification was made known after a pre-accreditation assessment visit by Ms. Maricel Madamba of the Standards Development Section Policy and Plans Division, DSWD Field Office VII on July 26, 2019, and after her consultation with the DSWD National Office.
Being a resource agency the VPHCS does not anymore have to seek accreditation as a social welfare and development agency with the DSWD.
The VPHCS is considered as a SWDA since it directly engages in SWD programs and services using social work intervention, whether case work, group work or community organizing, as defined in DSWD Memorandum Circular No. 17, series of 2018, “Revised Guidelines Governing the Registration, Licensing of Social Welfare and Development (SWD) Agencies and Accreditation of SWD Programs and Services.”
As a SWDA, the VPHCS is a member of the Area Based Standard Network (ABSNET), an organization of DSWD registered/licensed/accredited social welfare and development agencies (SWDAs) that assists the DSWD in implementation and monitoring of social welfare and development programs and services, provision of technical assistance and conduct of advocacy.