The Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) is the agency mandated to provide a balanced and responsive approach to social welfare whereby the rights, needs, and interests of all citizens within its jurisdiction, with special focus on the marginalized and vulnerable sectors, including women, children, senior citizens, differently-abled persons, indigenous cultural communities, internally displaced persons, and those similarly situated by analogy, are protected and addressed at all times, especially during the existence of a crisis, whether natural or human-induced, that affects their well-being and their participation in community affairs.