Negros Oriental town embraces 4Ps

CEBU, Philippines - DSWD's Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is on its way to achieving its goal of empowering disadvantaged people, after some of the beneficiaries from Mabinay town in Negros Oriental were freed from lies and incorrect information on the objectives of the program.

Most of this year's 2nd quarter was spent calling out to more than 1,000 identified potential household beneficiaries in Mabinay---most of whom were indigenous people living in the mountain barangays---to register and be counted among the recipients of the conditional cash transfer for health and education.

Due to misconceptions and wrong information, the potential beneficiaries had second thoughts on whether they would join the 4Ps.

A consultation meeting among DSWD's Asela Bella Tse, Provincial Link and leaders of various religious groups was later conducted and the public leaders readily agreed to be partners in implementing the program in Mabinay, through the Family Development Sessions (FDS).

Three months after the consultation, more than 70 percent of those unregistered have finally complied with the necessary documents and registered themselves as official 4Ps beneficiaries, resulting in more than 4,000 beneficiaries in the town.

As of this month, the program has distributed approximately P6.5M conditional cash grants, resulting in the town's bustling economic activity.

After each cash distribution, beneficiaries load themselves with sacks of rice, a kilo or two of meat and fish, new clothes and school supplies for their children. These were wishful thinking before for most of these poor people until 4Ps came in.

The 4Ps, a poverty alleviation strategy of the national government implemented by the DSWD, is designed to give cash grants to extremely poor household with children 0-14 years old. Allocations of P500/month for health and P300/month per child for education, for a maximum of three children, are given to the beneficiary for the next five years as long as conditions are met and complied with.

Health conditions include going to health centers for pre-natal and post natal check-up for pregnant women, preventive health check-up once a month, immunization, weighing and attendance in FDS; for education an 85 percent monthly attendance in school is required for each children.

Being part of the program, the beneficiaries now understood that it is not only their children that gets educated but themselves as well. Aside from the cash grants, they also enjoy free birth registration for all their children, and become potential beneficiaries of Self Employment Assistance-Kaularan (SEA-K) Program, Rice Subsidy for Small Scale Farmers and Fisherfolks, Social Pension, etc.

Some parents believed that after the five-year program, "the government will take-away their children while others think the program is part of demonic ploy." This is one of the misconceptions about the 4Ps, but the DSWD can not force them if they refuse to take part in it.

The DSWD has originally targeted some 148,000 beneficiaries for the 4Ps in Central Visayas but due to misconceptions, inclusion errors, and de-listing, the number of beneficiaries actually covered by the program in the region has been reduced to 137,000.

Families not complying with program requirements, including parents not attending regular meetings, have been delisted from the 4Ps, although their number is minimal. The DSWD has been urging those who are still taking part to continue to remain being active members. (FREEMAN)