• 2nd Runner-up in National Level

• Champion in Regional Level

The Rise of the New Polymath: Championing Selfless and Excellent Public Service

ILOILO City – Chloe Dawn G. Lagarto believes that being a Social Worker is a calling. It is a profession she took to respond to God’s call for her to serve the least and the needy. For her, her work is a mission field, her pulpit, and she considers herself a Missionary Social Worker.

Lagardo was born and raised by her pastor mother and a farmer father in a Christian community in Barangay Malag-it, Lambunao, Iloilo. As a pastor’s kid, she was exposed to the church community and activities where her talent and skills were honed. She spent her childhood joining church activities such as Kids Camp, Kids Praise, and Vacation Church School during summer.

During her high school days, Lagarto, uses her voice as part of a Christian band called “The Proclaimer” and volunteered as a Vacation Church School Teacher every summer where she joined a team of young people and was assigned in different Baptist Churches in Lambunao to teach children about Jesus and the Bible. These exposures and experiences made her realize that God’s purpose for her life is to serve people and bring them closer to God.

In 2005, she enrolled at Central Philippine University taking up a Bachelor of Science in Social Work. As she learns and discovers what Social Work is, her love and commitment to serve through this profession grow deeper. Her volunteer work in teaching during summer continues. She is an active youth leader both in the community and at school. She finished her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work within three years and graduated in 2008, awarded the Most Outstanding Social Work Graduate and with an Academic Excellence award.

Two months after her graduation, she was employed at Taytay Sang Kauswagan Inc. (TSKI) as a Community Enterprise Development Officer. Handling a pioneer project in partnership with TEARFUND New Zealand for the Indigenous Peoples Community in the province of Guimaras. This goes along with her commitment and passion for serving the community of the Ati Tribe in Guimaras. A remarkable achievement was made and up until today the Jordan Ati Community Association (JACA) of Sitio Kati-Kati, Jordan, Guimaras is still serving its purpose to the community.

PUBLIC SERVICE

In 2010, she joined the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office VI as Municipal Link under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) where she was one of the pioneer implementers of the program in the Province of Negros Occidental. Assigned to the municipalities of Isabela and Himamaylan City, with her jolly personality, talent and commitment to work she managed these two areas alone until she was joined by the Municipal Roving Bookkeeper.

After a year, she was transferred to the Municipality of Ajuy, Iloilo, and was designated as the Team Leader. Their team’s performance gains recognition along program implementation and is applauded by the partner stakeholders especially the Local Government Unit (LGU).

Promoted as Social Welfare Officer III in 2012 where she was then the youngest SWO III in 4Ps. In 2019, Lagarto was promoted as Social Welfare Officer IV/Provincial Link in the Province of Iloilo and lasted for one year until she was assigned in Negros Occidental and only stayed there for several months.

It was in 2020 where she almost decided to leave the DSWD because of her family especially that she has a months old son that time she was re-assigned in Negros Occidental. Her priority was challenged but God made a way for her to stay in the Department. She waived her contractual status of employment as Provincial Link and applied for SWO IV designated as Regional Case Management Focal Person in the Regional Program Management Office (RPMO) where she is currently holding the position.

Her decision was made easier given the very opportunity for her to test her social work practice and expertise vis-a-vis case management as the 4Ps central strategy to bring about improvement in the well-being of the program beneficiaries.

Lagarto is designated as the Section Head of the Case Management and Social Services Section where she supervises the GAD Unit, MCCT/IP Unit, Case Management Unit and the Institutional Partnership Development Unit. Through her leadership and guidance as the Section Head of CMSSS, the team was able to conduct activities successfully which include Case Conferences, Knowledge and Technical Sharing Sessions, Field Visits and other initiatives which resulted to improvements and enhancements of delivering the programs and services, provision of correct interventions and case management, foster positive relationship and engagement with partner agencies and stakeholders, promoting and valuing the presence and role of the IP communities in the society, and practicing the culture and IP sensitivity etc.

With all these initiatives, 92,369 4Ps households achieved self-sufficient level of well-being as evidenced by the SWDI results as of October 31, 2024, of whom 47,360 have graduated and subjected to Pugay Tagumpay since 2021.

ASPIRATION

Non-Government worker for almost two years after I graduate from college in 2008. I was assigned in Guimaras, working with the Ati Community as a Community Enterprise Development Assistant under TSKI funded by Tear Fund New Zealand. In 2010, I started working in DSWD. Over the years, I am honed by the Department as a Social Worker through the trainings and the variety of responsibilities I take on of which I am grateful for.

For almost 15 years working under 4Ps, I believe that the program is indeed a great help for every Filipino family, through immediate provision of cash grant coupled with conditions that promotes their total well-being. The program opens opportunity for every beneficiary to change their difficult situation through human investment specifically to the children in terms of education and health. The program enabled them to maximized their inherent worth and dignity, their capabilities and potential in order to become self-reliant or achieve self-sufficient level of well-being because I believe in this program.

I am a Social Work practitioner not just as DSWD worker but also practicing in academe and as an implementer, I am convinced that this program where I am right now can create a positive change to every family, every children and eventually can change our society. It is very evident now because of the success stories and stories of positive change that happened to every single family under the program. Professionally, I am aiming to finish my Doctorate degree and someday become a consultant. I am also praying for opportunities to study abroad and earn a degree which specializes in Social Work Case Management.

For my family, it’s always been my prayer that we are together and living under God’s will, fulfilling what He planned for us and also to grow our family business in order to help others. For the program, as an implementer I wanted see every family become self-reliant where they have the capacity to stand on their own and ended that intergenerational cycle of poverty.