RD Arnel Garcia CESO II conducts the first State of Pantawid Address (SOPA) for Bicol Region
In celebration of the 1st anniversary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Law and its Implementing Rules and Regulations, the DSWD Region 5 has rolled out the first ever regional Pantawid Address cum Media Forum conducted by the Regional Director of DSWD to its internal stakeholders last January 13. The SOPA serves as a means to inform about the program’s status of implementation, highlighting milestones, salient accomplishments over the years and it’s thrusts and priorities for 2021 .
Accomplishments and Milestones
4Ps Bicol has infused 52,236,637,930 pesos in the local economy from 2011 to 2020 and will infuse 9,273,383,308 pesos for 2021 through its cash grants to the program beneficiaries. This translates to millions of families with improved level of well-being as per results of studies by National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the WorldBank. A total of 55,101 households have graduated and exited the program.
For 2020, a total of 1,614,774,600 pesos was given to 4Ps household beneficiaries as part of their Emergency Subsidy to complete their Social Amelioration Program (SAP) – Tranche 1 and 2, and 1,261,951,200 pesos for the Unconditional Cash Transfer Program in accordance to the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law.
4Ps Bicol has the 2nd largest operations covering 372,169 households in the Philippines next to BARMM. Since 2013, 4Ps Bicol has been able to consistently hit targets and deliver its service. 4Ps implementation in Bicol is also well-renowned, making it a learning hub for both local and international partners to visit – the last study visit was from the government of Bangladesh in 2019.
Moreover, 4Ps children are given priority in CHED scholarship programs wherein this partnership 532 4Ps student grantees in Bicol have graduated from college, it has produced 1 magna cum laude, 30 cum laude and 7 with academic distinctions as of 2018. Since 2013, Bicol has been consistently producing model families who are top finalists in the nation-wide search. In 2018, the Dionisio family (Indigenous People) of Labo, Camarines Norte was hailed the over-all winner.
Key stakeholders share their experiences with the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program
Three key stakeholders of the 4Ps were the guest speakers in the said event.
The Local Government of Donsol, through the leadership of Mayor Josephine Cruz, was the first to recognize Voluntarily Waived Pantawid Household beneficiaries through a formal Graduation Program in May 31, 2018. This was first of its kind, a practice now being replicated all over the Philippines.
Mr Ninoy M. Avila, Regional Executive Assistant of Universal Peace Federation – Bicol (UPF Bicol), was also one of the keynote speakers of the activity. A Civil Society Organization (CSO), UPF Bicol is an international network of individuals and organizations that focuses on interfaith peace-building, peace education, and the strengthening of marriage and family. In Bicol, they are one of the most active and supportive partners of the program since 2015. Collaborations are along the conduct of Family Development Sessions (FDS) focusing on Strengthening Family Relations and Youth Development.
Ms. Joie Anne Cultivo, Senior Economic Development Officer of NEDA also joined the SOPA as a guest speaker. NEDA has been one of the most active and supportive National Government Agencies. They have released various researches that shows the impact of the program. They have been in the forefront in the institutionalization of the program and crafting of its implementing rules and regulations.
A recently graduated Pantawid grantee, Mercedita Buena from Baao, Camarines Sur also shared the change in her perspective from poverty to a purpose-driven life. Before the program, she indulged in gambling and drinking liquor with friends instead of spending her time improving their family’s livelihood and welfare. Through the Family Development Sessions (FDS) under the program, she realized that she can change for the better. Currently, she is a chief tanod and shares her knowledge on organic farming with her constituents. She is also a full-merit ChED scholar in second year college taking up BS Education. She pursued her studies after her son graduated from a two-year computer programming course, realizing that she can positively contribute to the community. She dreams of doing voluntary work with the Indigenous Peoples and out-of-school youths to pay it forward.
About the program
The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program is a national poverty reduction strategy and a human capital investment program that provides conditional cash transfer (CCT) to qualified household-beneficiaries. It addresses the problem of poverty trap by keeping children of poor families healthy and in school.
The household, to be considered under the program, must be included in the Standardized Targeting System (STS) of DSWD and classified as poor and/or near-poor, have members aged 0 to 18 years old and/or who are pregnant at the time of registration, and willing to comply with the conditions of the program. Periodical administration of the Social Welfare Development Indicators (SWDI) is done to assess and monitor the well-being of the qualified household-beneficiaries within a seven-year timeline.