DSWD pays P38.7-M to Palawan 4Ps beneficiaries

Puerto Princesa City (8 December) — A total of P38,743,000 have already been released by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps in Palawan.

Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, the poverty reduction strategy of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is targeting 22,164 poor families in Palawan located in 12 towns and Puerto Princesa City.

Prioritized towns are those with high poverty index based on the Small Area Estimates (SAE) and Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) are Agutaya, Busuanga, Dumaran, El Nido, Linapacan, Roxas, San Vicente and Taytay in Northern Palawan. Only the towns of Sofronio Espanola, Rizal and Balabac are identified in southern Palawan.

In an interview with Director Violeta A. Cruz, Regional Director for DSWD-MIMAROPA, she said that the program has been receiving favorable feedback from the beneficiaries and their partner-agencies – the Department of Health and the Department of Education.

Director Cruz said that initially, there has been increase in the clients and patients of rural health units seeking services for pre- and post-natal care, preventive health check-ups and vaccinations for children. In education, there are lesser drop-outs and daily attendance to day care centers, pre-school classes, elementary and high schools are very much improved.

4Ps provides cash grants to beneficiaries such as P6,000 a year or P500 per month per household for health and nutrition expenses; and, P3,000 for one school year or 10 months or P300/month per child for educational expenses. A maximum of three children per household is allowed. Each household-beneficiary will receive the cash grants for at most five years.

In a related development, DSWD Secretary Esperanza I. Cabral is arriving in Puerto Princesa City tomorrow to visit the municipality-beneficiary of San Vicente. She is expected to meet the municipal and barangay officials and about 2,100 program stakeholders in a people’s forum.

The local media practitioners from Puerto Princesa City will participate in the people’s forum to provide full coverage of the event. (PIA)