Manila, March 24 -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Tuesday received strong support from senators during the organizational meeting of the Senate's Proactive Response and Oversight for Timely and Effective Crisis Strategy (PROTECT) Committee that discussed the government's response to the ongoing geopolitical conflict in the Middle East.

The Senate hearing highlighted the government's unified and data-driven approach to mitigating the socio-economic impact of global tensions, with the DSWD represented by Secretary Rex Gatchalian and Undersecretary Adonis Sulit of the Policy and Planning Group (PPG).

Sen. Loren Legarda commended Gatchalian's hands-on leadership in crisis response, including the swift provision ...