To ensure that the children beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of Department of Social Welfare and Development in Bicol will enroll this opening of classes, said program sets a massive campaign dubbed as “Bata Balik Eskwela” in all of its covered municipalities and cities.

The Bata Balik Eskwela (BBE) campaign aims to encourage the children to return to school and continue their education so that they can fully maximize the benefits provided by 4Ps. Also, it aims to teach and inculcate to the children the value of education.

According to Regional Director Arnel B. Garcia, CESO II the target participants of the campaign are the children who are facing difficulties in continuing their studies

Among the identified reasons for not attending school are: there are significant numbers who are working in various sectors of economy to augment family’s income; children who were engaged in early marriage and got pregnant at an early age and children who are very sickly.

According to Dir. Garcia, the challenges identified which these children are facing are also addresses by the BBE Campaign.

Included in the BBE campaign are the current activities of 4Ps such as Youth and Family Development Sessions that are designed to develop a positive mind-set among the youth and parents and distribution of information materials.

Also, various interventions such as case management are administered by the program implementers in order to help these children or the whole family addressed their problems and in turn be able to make them realize the importance of sending back their children to school.

Dir. Garcia added that under the BBE, children beneficiaries will be equipped with necessary life skills so that they will realize their full potentials and decrease deterrents to their development with the end goal of enabling them to contribute meaningfully to improving the condition of their families.

Under BBE, the Parents are also asked for their commitment along providing guidance to their children, support along finances in school and active participation along conduct of community and school activities such as brigada eskwela.

The BBE is in partnership with other government agencies such as Department of Education and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).

At present a total of 9,940 4Ps children continue their education and about 19,000 children were provided with interventions through case management.***GANLindio-IO4Ps