THE Department of Education (DepEd), through its Field Operations strand, shared innovative milestones in its literacy, sports, children and employee welfare programs aimed at continuously strengthening the field offices' overall functions.'Our offices managed to improve, innovate and develop lead projects and practices, which made it possible for the Department of Education to provide the best possible services before and during the pandemic, and [these are] through the efforts of DepEd's field offices, the 16 Regional Offices, [and] 216 SDOs (School Division Offices),' Undersecretary for Field Operations Revsee Escobedo said during the DepEd General Assembly for 2021.

Escobedo, who also oversees the DepEd Employees Association Coordinating Office, underscored priority for employee welfare through the creation of an Online Helpdesk, where department employees, unions and cooperatives can seek assistance in resolving matters in response to the health situation.'Through DO No. 3, Series of 2021, a child protection unit along with the child rights education desk was created to further strengthen the department's policies and commitments towards child protection. We have capacity-building efforts and evaluation studies, skills enhancement of the personnel and training them to be more effective in their respective tasks crucial to the implementation of child protection programs and policies,' Escobedo said. Escobedo mentioned that partnerships with Stairway Foundation Inc., Facebook Philippines and Social Watch Philippines serve as a manifestation of the dedication of both the public and private sectors to assert child rights.