67% of towns in E. Visayas now covered by 4Ps-DSWD

TACLOBAN CITY ,Philippines  - A total of 91 out of 136 towns in Eastern Visayas, or 66.92 percent, are now covered by the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program implemented by the DSWD-Region 8.

DSWD-8 director Leticia Diokno, during the recently held Harampang Ha PIA media forum, presented the agency's National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) Database, which identifies who and where the poor are nationwide, but focusing on Region 8.

Diokno said the 4Ps program is now in all the six provinces; in four out of seven cities; and in 2,783 out of the 4,390 of the barangays in Eastern Visayas.

Of the 91 towns, 20 are in Northern Samar; 24 in Samar; seven in Eastern Samar; 32 in Leyte; and four each in Southern Leyte and Biliran.

There is an ongoing verification and validation of households, and so far there are 168,985 registered households out of the targeted 226,284 beneficiaries.

The household profile of the 4Ps beneficiaries in the region showed 98,664 females and 70,321 male beneficiaries of the program, which meant that more females than males are heads of the families or in the workforce, said Diokno.

On children beneficiaries, there are 75,411 in the 0-2 age bracket; 40,470 in the 3-5 bracket; and 167,782 in the 6-14 bracket.

The total number of pregnant mothers in the household beneficiaries totaled 7,635, while indigenous people numbered 69 and persons with disabilities 856.

The profile also indicated that 54,331 household heads are farmers; 42,000 fisher folk; 10,485 in forestry and 62,169 in other occupations like carpentry, labor, driver, vendor, among others.