AN Ilongga social worker now heads the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Western Visayas.
Rebecca Palma- Geamala, formerly Assistant Regional Director for Operations (ARDO), has assumed as the new regional director of the agency effective January 4, 2016.
Geamala, a social worker by profession, is a native of Iloilo City.
She replaced former director Ma. Evelyn B. Macapobre who was assigned again to her home region in Cebu City as head of DSWD Field Office VII.
Geamala rose from the ranks as she started as Vocational Rehabilitation Worker 1 with focus on elderly and Persons with Disability of the then Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) in 1980s.
She had stints in handling children, youth, women, families, Persons with Disabiliy, elderly, and community welfare services.
Also, Geamala has served as head of the then Technical Assistance Division (TAD), under which the office advocated for the welfare of the different disadvantaged and vulnerable sectors.
Also, she has worked as head of the Institutional Development Division (IDD) , which led the agency in strengthening and capacitating social welfare and development partners like Local Government Units (LGUs), Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) snd People’s Organizations (POs) in implementing programs and projects.
MACAPOBRE
Macapobre has served Western Visayas for three years.
During her stint, she led DSWD Western Visayas in relief and rehabilitation efforts particularly when the strongest typhoon Yolanda hit the region.
Although away from her family, she served with passion and commitment by leading the team of Ilonggo workers in bringing positive changes to the lives of the poor and vulnerable sectors whom they served.
Among awards received by the office during her stint include Huwarang Pantawid Pamilya national winner in 2014 reprepsented by Gemma Tanutan and family; Gawad Listahanan national winner-Component City category represented by Escalante City in Negros, Occidental; first runner-up in the Search for Huwarang Pantawid Pamilya in 2015.
Also, the regional office bagged the Best Employment Facilitation Model and Best Disaster Response Project under the Sustainable Livelihood Program in 2015./dswd6/May Rago-Castillo