05 October, CANBERRA – Philippine Ambassador to Australia Ma. Hellen De La Vega welcomed the delegates to the Philippine Study Visit on the Disability Support Pension and other Social Support Services for Persons with Disabilities led by National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon to the Official Residence on 3 October 2023.

The delegation is visiting Canberra and Sydney to study Australia’s social protection system with the aim of enhancing the Philippines’ programming and delivery of services and social inclusion policies. The delegation included Representative Rachel Del Mar, Vice Chairperson of the Special Committee on Persons with Disability; Representative Laarni Roque, Vice Chairperson of the Special Committee on Persons with Disability; Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Undersecretary Monina Josefina Romualdez; Philippine Statistics Authority OIC Deputy National Statistician Fred Sollestra; and, National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) Executive Director Joniro Fradejas and technical experts from NEDA, DSWD, Department of Health and NCDA. -- END