DSWD-7 asks LGUs to help require new 4Ps beneficiaries to register next month
by Amor Saludar
CEBU CITY, November 10 (PIA) – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) here sought the assistance of the local government units (LGUs) in urging the additional 58,832 poor families in Central Visayas to register for their official inclusion as beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
DSWD-7 4Ps Program Coordinator Aileen Lariba said the additional identified household-beneficiaries in the region need to be registered first before they can become recipients of the government’s conditional cash transfer program.
“The registration will start by the second week of December. LGUs now have the list of the identified family-beneficiaries in their respective areas as we ask them to please help us require these families to register,” Lariba said.
Lariba said that in case these identified beneficiaries cannot register on the scheduled date, they still have until the month of December to register so they could benefit from the financial assistance on health and education by the government.
Failure to register by the end-month can be a possible ground to be removed from the list of beneficiaries, this is said.
“It is also the responsibility of the LGUs to inform the beneficiaries to appear during the registration date because they already have the list of names of their constituents who are identified as recipients of the Pantawid Program,” Lariba said.
“We are appealing to the LGUs in the region and the public as well to help us inform the household- beneficiaries so that they will be officially registered as recipients of the program,” Lariba added.
The DSWD-7 officer said that if the additional beneficiaries in the region will be officially registered, the number of Pantawid beneficiaries will rise from 136, 608 families to 195, 440 families. (FCR/AS/PIA-CEBU)
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DPWH cancels 19 questionable contracts, saves P3.5B for 1st Q 2011 alone
By Fayette C. Riñen
CEBU CITY, November 10 (PIA) -- Because of the reforms that have been instituted in the bidding and selection process in the awarding of infrastructure projects, the Department of Works and Highways (DPWH) cancelled 19 questionable contracts this year and in the process, was able to save P3.5B for the first quarter of this year alone.
“Strict bidding procedures are now adopted to ensure that there is transparency in negotiations of government projects and that the right costs for projects are really declared which would not in any way compromise the quality of such projects,” DPWH Director Rebecca Garsuta said during a recent visit to Cebu
Garsuta said instating the necessary reforms in the bidding and selection process in awarding government projects in is line with the Aquino Administration’s thrust of good governance agenda.
“We expect that by the end of the year, the DPWH can save around P10B due to the reforms we have made within the agency,” according to Garsuta.
Garsuta also said that politicians cannot just use their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) for any projects because criteria have to be followed on what projects should be constructed.
“We now have a list on the priority projects that need to be funded so politicians cannot just choose what projects they want,” Garsuta explained.
Our current Administration is bent on fighting and reducing corruption within the bureaucracy and our agency is following that direction by instituting the necessary reforms to reduce graft and reduce costs as well to save money that could be spent on other priority projects that could benefit the people, Garsuta said (PIA-Cebu)
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4Ps targets sustainable livelihood for beneficiaries, DSWD-7 says
by Amor Saludar
CEBU CITY, November 9 (PIA) -- Apart from the financial assistance in the areas of health and education for the identified poorest of the poor families under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) here said it is partnering with sister government agencies for a convergence of services that can help the families uplift their life such as livelihood opportunities.
DSWD- 7 4Ps Program Coordinator Aileen Lariba said they sister government agencies are starting to help the program beneficiaries in line with their services.
“The Department of Public Works and Highways for example has committed to provide 20 percent of their labor workforce to the program beneficiaries in areas where there are DPWH projects. The husbands cove red under the program could be hired as ‘mason’ or carpenter or any other skilled works needed by the DPWH in their various projects,” Lariba declared during the recent Kapihan sa PIA-Cebu that tackled the government’s cash conditional transfer.
Lariba added that the Department of Health in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment in its RN Heals program will be deploying nurses to Pantawid areas in deliver basic health services to the community including the Pantawid beneficiaries.
“At present we are undergoing a series of convergence caravan in selected provinces under Region 7, which is participated by other government agencies and stakeholders to bring basic services to poor communities including the Pantawid beneficiaries,” Lariba said.
“We are also having consultation dialogues with the different government agencies to discuss what particular services they can offer such as livelihood or other activities that will benefit the program beneficiaries since these are the identified families that are categorized as poorest of the poor,” Lariba bared.
Through the convergence if services, a major highlight of the Pantawid Program, agencies such as DPWH, DOH, TESDA and DA are now offering services that can provide and help boost the lives of the 4Ps beneficiaries.
Last July in celebration of Nutrition Month, the DA-7 provided 20 cans of vegetable seedlings and dwarf coconut plants to Pantawid areas in the region. The seedlings were distributed equally to five barangays included in the Pantawid areas that would benefit 30 to 40 households, this is said.
“The products of these seedlings in one barangay will also be extended to other barangays and the process will continue until all household beneficiaries can harvest the products of these seedlings, “Lariba explained.
The harvested products will be used for consumption of the Pantawid families and the rest of it can be sold to the market for additional income. (FCR/AS/PIA-CEBU)
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4Ps beneficiaries in C. Visayas have high
compliance rate on school attendance, health
by Fayette C. Riñen
CEBU CITY, November 10 (PIA) -- A high compliance rate of 95 percent on school attendance and almost the same for the regular check-ups in barangay health centers among the 136,608 poor families in Central Visayas as part of their co-responsibilities under the ‘Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino’ Program (4Ps)has been recorded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) here.
DSWD-7 4Ps Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Raquel Daria reported that the government’s conditional cash transfer program has been successfully implemented in the region as schoolchildren-beneficiaries have complied with the required 85 percent school attendance rate while the family-recipients have also recognized the importance of regular check-ups in their barangay health center to maintain their health.
“We are very proud to report that school attendance by school children who are recipients of the 4Ps is 95 percent while for regular health check-ups which is monthly except for those pregnant mothers and attendance to family development sessions by the parent-beneficiaries is at 94 percent,” Daria disclosed.
Daria also said no household-beneficiary has been delisted from the list of recipients.
In order to remain a beneficiary of the 4Ps program, household-recipients need to comply with their co-responsibilities which are 85 percent school attendance by schoolchildren-beneficiaries and regular visitation to the barangay health center which is recorded, this is learned.
Under the program, the government through the DSWD provides financial assistance to the identified poorest of the poor families nationwide on the areas of health and education. A maximum of P1,400 monthly financial assistance is given per household-beneficiary with a breakdown of P500/month for health maintenance needs and P300 each for a schoolchild under 15 years of age up to a maximum of three children per household or a total of P900.
Daria stressed the 4Ps is not a dole-out because the beneficiaries have their co-responsibilities that they need to fulfill and failure to comply with their obligations warrant their removal from the program.
“I can really see how the program has helped change the parents’ mindset especially on the importance of education. They are the ones encouraging their children to go to school. The program has also helped improve the relationship of the family through the regular attendance to family development sessions which is required among the parent-beneficiaries,” according to Daria.
Although the program is clear on how it can help the poor families augment expenses on education and health needs, the DSWD-7 officer said that the huge impact of the program can be gleaned after the initial household-beneficiaries can graduate from the program after five years.
Daria said in 2008 when the program was launched, household beneficiaries were identified as those belonging under the more than 67-percent poverty incidence level and these poor families can avail of the financial aid for five years. “These families will then graduate from the program in 2013 and here we will make an assessment on the impact of the program,” Daria claimed.
In 2008, only 1M identified poorest of the poor families were taken as beneficiaries of which, the number of household-recipients increased to 2.2M under the Aquino Administration with a budget of P27B this year.
And with an increasing budget of which P39B is set aside for next year, the number of poor families as beneficiaries of the program has grown to a target of 3M nationwide next year, Daria further said.
“Obviously, the number of beneficiaries in Central Visayas will also increase from the present 136,608 families to 195,440 families or an additional of 58,832 family-beneficiaries,” Daria revealed. (PIA-Cebu)
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Pantawid Pamilya Program adds almost 60T poor families
in C. Visayas to avail of gov’t aid in education, health needs
by Fayette C. Riñen
CEBU CITY, November 09 (PIA) -- Almost 60,000 poor families in Central Visayas have been added to the list of identified household-beneficiaries under the government’s anti-poverty program dubbed ‘Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino’ Program (4Ps) spearheaded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
DSWD-7 4 Ps Program Coordinator Aileen Lariba announced that out of the additional 58,832 poorest of the poor families in the region that can avail of the conditional cash transfer, over 50 percent are in Cebu with 39,047 households followed by Bohol with 11,311 families. Negros Oriental has 7,801 added family-recipients and lastly, Siquijor with 673 identified impoverished families.
“In Cebu alone, 23 municipalities have been added as Pantawid areas due to the additional household-recipients which used to be only 28 towns and cities. So the program now services 51 towns and cities of Cebu province,” Lariba said during the weekly Kapihan sa PIA this morning that tackled the poverty alleviation program of the Aquino Administration.
With the implementation of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program in 51 out of the around 54 municipalities and cities of Cebu makes it a Pantawid province having the largest bulk of the beneficiaries in the entire region, Lariba said.
Currently, there are 136,608 poor families in the region that are recipients of the government’s financial assistance program on health and education and with the additional family-beneficiaries, the total number of poor families in Central Visayas that are recipients of the 4Ps program now reaches 195,440 household-beneficiaries.
Out of the 195,440 household-beneficiaries, 91,986 families are based in Cebu, this is reported.
The additional household-beneficiaries is a result of the increased budget for the 4Ps program which this year has a P27B budget allocation that has been hiked to P39B for 2012, this is said.
Lariba however said, the additional household-beneficiaries can avail of the program starting next year with the approved increased budget as they have to register for the program in their respective areas by second week of December.
“The list of new family-beneficiaries is now in the hands of respective local government units that will also assist in calling out to these new recipients to register next month,” Lariba said.
The 4Ps program is a conditional cash transfer designed to provide financial assistance to the identified poorest of the poor families nationwide on the areas of health and education. A maximum of P1,400 monthly financial assistance is given per household-beneficiary with a breakdown of P500/month for health maintenance needs and P300 each for a school child under 15 years of age up to a maximum of three children per household or a total of P900, this is learned. (PIA-Cebu)