DSWD to teach 4Ps beneficiaries to become financially independent

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Central Visayas is holding an exit activity before the five-year availment period of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program ends to prepare the beneficiaries to become financially independent.

Brigieda Goron, DSWD 7 provincial link officer for Cebu of the government’s cash transfer program, said the agency teaches the beneficiaries about livelihood activities to make them become self-reliant.

“The program aims to make 4Ps beneficiaries financially independent,” Goron said.

One of the priority goals of the program is to assist the beneficiaries especially those graduating ones to have sustainable means of livelihood for them to continue prioritizing the education and health needs of their family.

Under the Sustainable Logistics Development Program (SLDP) are three major components namely; the Self-Employment Assistance-Kaunlaran (SEA-K), Guaranteed Employment and the Production Unit.

So far, 250 recipients in Cebu City have availed of the SEA-K where financial assistance ranging from P1,000 to P10,000 are given without any interest.

“We have already provided a total of P1.3M in financial assistance for various livelihood projects of 250 beneficiaries in Cebu City alone,” Jimmy Crusio, DSWD 7 project development officer.

“Pantawid beneficiaries availing of the SEA-K are given a three-day training to learn how they could sustain their livelihood and be able to pay back the loan without any interest,” Crusio added.

According to Crusio, not all Pantawid recipients can avail of the loan because assessment of their capability to undertake a business and how to sustain it are needed.

Livelihood projects such as sari-sari store and vegetable planting for upland areas are among the projects availed by the beneficiaries.

In Central Visayas, over 20,000 program beneficiaries are set to graduate next year after availing of the financial assistance since 2009.

Majority of the 22,003 graduating household-beneficiaries comes from Negros Oriental with 19, 503 recipients and the rest of the 2,500 are from Cebu City.

Pantawid recipients receive at the most P1,400 monthly financial aid where P500 goes for health needs and the P900 is for the educational needs of children below 14 years old at a maximum of three at P300 a month each.

Goron said the program started in 2009 where initially only over 20,000 households benefited from the conditional cash transfer.

Under the program, the beneficiaries receive cash in exchange for submitting to prenatal and postnatal care for pregnant women; immunization, weighing and de-worming for children; attending family development sessions (FDS, for parents) to learn good parenting, responsible parenthood and rights awareness; and at least 85 percent school attendance a month for children.

Each community beneficiary has a parent leader who oversees the attendance, monthly discussions and overall participation and compliance of the beneficiaries.

There are 206, 367 total number of household-beneficiaries of Pantawid in Central Visayas. — (FREEMAN)