CEBU, Philippines - The Aquino government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) may not have completely solved -- until now -- the lingering poverty problem in the country, but some cash grant recipients have actually attested that it is possible to move out from poverty through creating their own small enterprise.
Marife Bardilas, 41-year-old accessory maker in Cebu City’s Barangay Mambaling, decided to pursue her small business aside from solely relying on the cash grant her family receives from the government.
Her family is just one of the millions of poor Filipino households who are receiving financial assistance from the government's 4Ps, which provides the short-term financial needs of the poorest citizens.
Bardilas, a mother of seven, recalled the hard situation her family was in years ago when she was still earning small from her job as a manicurist. The woman thought something entrepreneurial had to be done so her family’s life would improve.
She sought help from the Department of Social Welfare and Development to gain capital through its Sustainable Livelihood Program which lends money to families who have interest in starting a small business.
“Akong hunahuna before nga di pwede sige na lang mi dawat og kwarta. Kinahanglan nga makanegosyo pud mi para moarang-arang gyud among kinabuhi,” the accessory vendor told The FREEMAN at the one-day bazaar organized by DWSD in White Gold Club last Sunday. The bazaar showcased food and non-food products of the agency's concessionaires who were mostly CCT and SLP beneficiaries.
Human capital investment
Jennifer Quimno, DSWD-7 regional project coordinator of SLP, claimed the government’s poverty alleviation program has not totally addressed poverty in the country.
“Di tanang beneficiaries man gud pareho og hunahuna. Naay mga nagtinarong nga gusto gyud molambo ilang pamilya. Naay naghunahuna nga i-invest nila ang kwarta for long-term development,” Quimno explained.
Poor family beneficiaries must follow conditions such as accessing nutrition, healthcare, family development and education for the children age 14 years old and below.
The program can help them for a period of five years and the assistance ends after that.
The Social Welfare Department says the CCT is an investment in human capital to help them become part of the administration’s goal of inclusive growth.
The national government has allocated P64.7 billion to support the 4.4 million 4Ps beneficiaries in 2015. Next year's budget is a bit higher compared to P62.6 billion being allocation for the CCT program this year.
But despite the financial program, the national poverty incidence has remained unchanged especially in rural areas where achieving full economic development is really a challenge.
In fact, critics say cash grants for the rural and urban low-income households have not really solved poverty.
But the social and economic changes lie in the hands of the beneficiaries, Quimno reacted.
The family development sessions they do, she said, want to educate these people on how to manage their financial resources and establish ways like creating a business to earn income.
Development
Take for instance the case of Balod Women SEA-K (Self-Employment Assistance-Kaunlaran) Association in Cebu’s Dalaguete town.
According to its president, 51-year-old Nenita Brandares, 32 families who are 4Ps beneficiaries in their town decided to start the association which now produces various delicacies and pickled fruits.
“Nagkasinabot lang gyud mi nga magkahugpong kay parehas man mi og mga trabaho mao na ang pagpanghimo og delicacies ug uban pang food products,” said Brandares who, together with her members, displayed their products during the bazaar.
BWSA, she said, now supplies its products to some grocery stores in the city after the group was discovered by retailers through the DSWD. (FREEMAN)