The City Government of Davao, through the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO),has once again extended its hand of compassion and solidarity, deploying 12 trained personnel to provide Psychological First Aid (PFA) and Psychosocial Support Services (PSS) to Jose Abad Santos and Malita, Davao Occidental from July 3 to 5, 2026.
This was in response to the request by the local government of Jose Abad Santos, which prompted the deployment of well-trained PFA providers and a logistics support team focusing on addressing not only the physical needs but also the mental and emotional well-being of responders and affected communities.
Gina Molon, Social Services Welfare Operations Division Chief of CSWDO told the City Information Office (CIO) that the recent deployment was more than just a professional duty, it was a genuine act of service to extend care and compassion to neighboring communities.
“Happy kaayo ang atoang team kay mao man pod na amoang gusto nga muserve and mahimong tabang sa atoang silingan nga mga community (Our team is very happy because that is what we want, to serve and be a help to our neighboring communities),” she said.
She explained that the team successfully conducted PFA and PSS to at least 60 responders and municipal employees who had been directly involved in assisting earthquake victims, while simultaneously accommodating walk-in residents seeking emotional refuge.
Molon also emphasized that while physical recovery is visible, the emotional and psychological wounds often remain hidden and can weigh heavily on responders and residents long after the crisis has passed.
“It’s more on the inner side to siya, dili man siya klaro sa physical, pero katung sa inside dako kaayo siyang process nga daanan sa isa ka tao and it’s really good nga nakatabang ang Davao City ato. Dako siyag effect, kay ang mental anguish, pain and agony kay somehow ma relieve sila (It’s more on the inner side, it’s may not show physically, but on the inside, it’s a huge process that a person goes through and it’s really good that Davao City helped with that. It has a big effect to the responders because their mental anguish, pain, and agony are somehow relieved),” she added.
This is not the first time that Davao City has extended psychosocial support to communities in need, as CSWDO has previously deployed Psychological First Aid teams to Cebu, Tacloban, and within the city itself building both internal and external teams to ensure readiness in times of disaster.
“Nabati gyud nila nga naay somebody nga naminaw sailaha. Nahatagan sila og sense of relief kay naa man didtoa kanang sa mga responder, ingon sila nga nabati gyud nila nga they feel valued knowing na somebody will listen to them and maka pa release sila sa ilahang gipang bati. Dako kaayo siyag impact (They felt that there was somebody listening to them. They felt a sense of relief especially on the part of the responders, they said that they really felt valued knowing that somebody would listen to them and they could release what they were feeling. It really has a huge impact),” she said.
Complementing the psychosocial mission, Davao City also allocated Php 3 million in financial assistance to several LGUs affected by the June 8 tremor. CIO
Written by: N. Malasado
Edited by: A. Nawal
Photo by: Davao City Social Welfare and Development Office