P4.5-B aid sent out via Globe

MANILA, Philippines - A total of P4.5 billion worth of cash grants have been handed out to the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program (4Ps) via Globe’s domestic cash pick-up service this year.

 Paolo Baltao, president of G-Xchange, Inc. (GXI), said the amount benefited some 700,000 households or 30 percent of the target 2.3 million 4Ps family-beneficiaries for 2011.

As of August this year, approximately P9 billion cash grants were released by the government for distribution to beneficiaries nationwide.

The program, implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development is a poverty alleviation program that gives out cash assistance to the country’s poorest families in exchange for compliance on conditions such as sending their children to school, having infants immunized from diseases, and mothers visiting community health centers.

On the average, families complying with the conditions can get cash grants of P1,400 monthly.