Social workers, who serve as the lifeline of the nation’s humanitarian and welfare response, must be provided stronger institutional support, including regularization, according to Senator Loren Legarda.

Legarda said social workers are not just indispensable. They are also irreplaceable.

“In times of need, they are the first to respond and the last to leave. Their service is not quiet — it is courageous, visible, and deeply transformative,” Legarda said in a news release on Tuesday.

Citing her decades of collaboration with social workers from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and with provincial and municipal social welfare offices, she emphasized how their work sustains the delivery of medical aid, educational support, burial and food assistance, psychosocial services, and emergency financial help.

Legarda also shared how her own office employs a licensed social worker, whose presence has significantly strengthened their outreach and social protection programs.

“Having a social worker on our team is one of the best decisions we’ve made. Her empathy, technical expertise and deep understanding of human vulnerability have elevated the way we serve our people,” she said.

Amid her tribute, Legarda also issued a call to action.

“It is time to regularize our social workers, especially those in the DSWD, rightfully called as angels in red vests, as well as those in our local governments who are still serving as job order or contract-of-service personnel. How can we expect sustained care from those who themselves lack job security? This is not just a labor issue — it is a moral one,” she said.

The four-term senator underscored the urgency of investing in the welfare of social workers, who are often deployed in the harshest conditions and most emotionally demanding environments.

“As we honor their work, let us match our praises with policy. Social workers should not just be applauded. They should be protected, supported and empowered,” Legarda said. (PNA)