4Ps to be expanded to E. Samar, Leyte, Biliran and So. Leyte
TACLOBAN CITY – Implementation of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) will be expanded to Eastern Samar, Leyte, Biliran and Southern Leyte next year with the recent Malacañang directive to cover more towns with high poverty incidence.
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Regional Director Letecia Corillo said that the identification of beneficiaries is now ongoing in other four provinces in preparation of 4Ps, a program which was previously implemented in Northern Samar and Samar provinces.
“We expect that by the middle of December, enumeration will be completed in all provinces of the region. We will release the final list of beneficiaries early next year,” Corillo told Leyte Samar Daily Express.
To date, 700,000 Filipino households are enrolled in the program but an additional 300,000 households are targeted to increase the beneficiaries to one million by the end of 2009.
The number is expected to increase to one million next year as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered the release of P10 billion for poor families listed under 4Ps initiative, according to Corillo.
Of the total number of enrolled families nationwide, 90,000 are from Northern Samar and Samar, placing the region in the second rank with the most number of beneficiaries in this initiative.
“For provinces outside Samar, the program will be carried out in municipalities that registered more than 50% poverty incidence,” Corillo added.
With the expansion to all Region 8 provinces, she said that the total beneficiaries in the region will be over 100,000.
Since 2008, there are 363,388 household beneficiaries in Northern Samar enrolled in the program and are receiving conditional cash grants. The number doubled starting June 2009 as the program expanded to all municipalities of Samar.
The 4Ps, which was officially launched by the President in March 2007, provides conditional cash grants to extremely poor households to improve their health, nutrition, and education, particularly of children aged 0-14 years old.
Under the program, P6,000 a year or P500 per month for health and nutrition expenses and P3,000 for one school year or P300 a month per child for educational expenses is given to households who have been pre-determined by the DSWD to be among the poorest of the poor.
A family with three qualified children can receive the assistance monthly provided that they diligently follow certain conditions such as availment of health services by pregnant mothers and children aged 0-14, enrolment in schools of children 3-14 years old with attendance not lower than 85% of the time. Parents are also required to attend parenting sessions regularly.
Corillo said that they are committed to closely monitor the spending of the money to assure that the amount is being used to uplift the nutritional status and educational achievement of children. (SARWELL Q. MENIANO)
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