The DSWD Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) conducted a five-day Work and Financial Planning Workshop for Fiscal Year 2026 on April 21 to 25, 2025, in Cebu City.

The planning workshop served as a venue to develop and harmonize a detailed, realistic, and actionable Work and Financial Plan of DRMG, which was actively participated in by the Disaster Response Management Bureau (DRMB), the National Resource and Logistics Management Bureau (NRLMB), and the Field Office (FO) counterparts. This activity also ensures alignment with the Department’s strategic plan and priorities, determines the targets and plans of FOs based on the availability of resources, and identifies gaps for funding exploration.

In her opening message, Director Maria Isabel Lanada imparted her guidance on the prudent and judicious utilization of government funds, stressing that all expenditures must align with the Secretary’s Directives, as well as the Department’s rapid and sustained disaster response, strategic plans, and overarching thrusts and directions. She also underscored the vital qualities of a true public servant—honesty, integrity, accountability, and commitment to public trust, which are essential in safeguarding and responsibly managing the resources of the Filipino people.

Resource speakers from the Policy Development and Planning Bureau (PDPB), Administrative Service (AS) and Financial Service (FS) were invited to guides the DSWD Strategic Plan 2023-2028, salient features of the New Government Procurement Act, and the Work and Financial Plan (WFP)  Formulation Guidelines and Budget Parameters 2026, respectively. 

In closing, DRMG Undersecretary Diana Rose S. Cajipe reiterated that the culmination of this intensive planning workshop marks not an end, but rather the true commencement of diligently addressing the critical concerns of the cluster. She emphasized the importance of FOs’ readiness in mirroring the Regional Disaster Response Command Center (RDRCC) as a proactive and essential response strategy in anticipation of the potential impact of the “Big One.”

Aside from USec Cajipe, Special Assistant to the Secretary for DRMG and NRLMB Director Leo Quintilla, and DRMB Assistant Bureau Director Michael Cristopher Mathay also led the planning workshop.