Graduating' 4Ps-recipients in C. Visayas face better future
By Fayette C. Ri�en
CEBU CITY, Oct 4 (PIA) -- A legacy of an improved quality of life is the fulfillment left by government’s anti-poverty program dubbed Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), to over 20,000 graduating household-recipients in Central Visayas.
Marites Augis, who lives near the Inayawan dumpsite in Cebu City is just one of the first of the 2,541 identified poorest of the poor families in Cebu City enrolled in the program when it started in 2008.
“Dako kay ko og pasalamat sa programa kay karon, nisaka jud ang among estado sa panginabuhi (I am very grateful to the program because now, our quality of life has improved)," said Augis during the recent PIA Kapihan that tackled the 4Ps.
Augis said that with no work and a husband with no clear income, it was very difficult for her to send her children to school. And because her family was included in the Set 1 beneficiaries five years ago, two of her children below 14 years old were able to go to school.
As a recipient of government’s poverty alleviation program, Augis received P1,100 monthly financial assistance broken down into P500 for the health needs of her family and P300 each for the educational needs of her two children.
The 4Ps, implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), aims to reduce poverty incidence among the poorest of the poor families nationwide through the areas of education and health.
Since its launching in 2008, the program has already covered 3.2 million household-beneficiaries nationwide, claimed Aileen Lariba, DSWD 7 4Ps information officer during the forum.
Lariba said the beneficiaries will receive financial assistance from government for a total of five years as long as they also meet their co-responsibilities which are to regularly visit the barangay health centers, regular attendance to family development sessions, and 85 percent school attendance of children-recipients.
“Augis fulfilled her co-responsibilities for five years and in fact, availed of the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) of the DSWD under the 4Ps to start her own carenderia,” disclosed Lariba.
Augis said her P6,000 loan from the SLP three years ago was already paid up and her small eatery business is doing very well. “In fact, because of her hard work, she now owns a multi-cab,” proudly revealed Lariba.
In Central Visayas, the number of Set 1 household-beneficiaries or those who were the first recipients was 20,442 but these families were only based in Negros Oriental and Cebu City.
“These over 20,000 families belonged to the highest poverty incidence level of 89 percent. This is why they were given the highest priority by government,” said Lariba.
Lariba said the 4Ps has certainly helped the first beneficiaries improved their quality of life citing the Augis household. “Now they can already go on their own without the monthly financial aid from the government. I am sure that all the rest are in the same situation as we make sure that they can already be on their own,” added Lariba.
The DSWD 7 is currently conducting registration for the Set 6 household beneficiaries in Region 7. (PIA 7, Cebu)
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GSIS assures sufficient funds for members
By Amorganda A. Saludar
CEBU CITY, Oct 4 (PIA) -- Top officials of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) assured the public the agency is stable and has sufficient funds to provide for the benefits of all its 1.7 million members from the public sector.
GSIS Board of Trustee Karina David in a special PIA Kapihan said the member' welfare is always a top most concern of the board and as such, they are adopting innovations geared towards providing better services to them.
“GSIS is there to make sure that when government employees retire, their retirement benefits will immediately be given to them so they will have a good life,” David declared.
Another GSIS Board Trustee Mario Aguja advised their members not to worry over their retirement benefits because the agency is financially sound and can aptly provide them all the retirement benefits as promised to them.
He also added the members can really expect better services as Aguja said “the members deserve the best services from GSIS.”
“Rest assured the GSIS will continue to provide efficient and better services and we also guarantee that the money will be spent wisely to promote the welfare of our members." he added. (FCR/AYS-PIA-7 CEBU)
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More than 1,000 enrolled in PhilHealth’s Sponsored Program in Cebu and Negros Oriental
By Hazel F. Gloria
CEBU CITY, Oct 4 (PIA) -- Seven barangays in the provinces of Cebu and Negros Oriental enrolled 1,481 poor constituents in Philippine Health Insurance (PhilHealth)’s Sponsored Program.
The three sponsoring barangays are in Cebu City, one in Consolacion, Cebu, and three in Tayasan, Negros Oriental.
In Cebu City, Barangay Capitol Site enrolled 800 poor families, while barangays Apas and Lorega San Miguel each sponsored 165 members and Consolacion’s Barangay Pulpogan sponsored the premium of 200 constituents.
In Tayasan, barangays Linao, Lutay, and Magtuhao shouldered the premium of a total of 151 poor constituents.
Through the support of these barangays, poor families enrolled as sponsored members can now avail of PhilHealth benefits within the validity period indicated in their PhilHealth ID and Member Data Record (MDR).
Like all other PhilHealth members, sponsored members can avail of PhilHealth benefits when confined for at least 24 hours in PhilHealth-accredited hospitals or admitted for outpatient treatment, such as dialysis, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and ambulatory or day surgeries, among others.
They are also entitled to free primary preventive and diagnostic services, as well as free drugs and medicines in accredited rural health units or health centers under PhilHealth’s Primary Care Benefit 1 (PCB1) package.
The package includes services like free consultation, regular blood pressure monitoring and visual inspection with acetic acid. It also covers procedures such as complete blood count (CBC), urinalysis and chest X-ray. Free drugs and medicines for asthma (not requiring admission), acute gastroenteritis with no or mild dehydration, upper respiratory tract infection or low risk pneumonia and urinary tract infection are also included in the PCB1 package.
PhilHealth’s No Balance Billing Policy (NBB) also applies for members sponsored by these barangays when admitted in accredited government hospitals for illnesses or surgical procedures covered under PhilHealth’s case rates.
NBB means PhilHealth’s coverage is sufficient to cover the cost of treatment and no other fees should be charged to or paid for by the member beyond the identified case rate.
PhilHealth benefits and the NBB extend to qualified dependents of the principal sponsored member, that is, the legal spouse, children below 21 years old and parents aged 60 years or older. (HFG/PIA-7/Philhealth)
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DSWD 7 holds registration for 4Ps recipients in C. Visayas
by Fayette C. Ri�en
CEBU CITY, Oct 4 (PIA) -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 7 is currently holding an ongoing registration in Central Visayas for household beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
Brigida Tampus Goron, DSWD 4Ps Provincial Link Cebu Cluster, said the registration will run until October 15.
She also urged the identified poorest of the poor families, covered by the program on its September 6 implementation, to register in their respective provinces.
“We expect around 25,799 family-recipients to be covered for this Set 6 implementation. We hope that these beneficiaries will register to be covered by the government’s financial assistance to address for their health and educational needs of their children under 14 years old,” said Goron during a PIA Kapihan that talked on the government’s poverty alleviation program.
Out of the 25,799 household-beneficiaries, Cebu has the largest volume of identified poor families with 15,598 followed by 7,634 families in Bohol. Negros Oriental has 2,284 family-beneficiaries and lastly, 283 families from Siquijor, said Goron.
Goron said the Set 6 beneficiaries are those with poverty incidence level of over 30 percent.
The Set 1 implementation of the 4Ps started in 2008 covering 20,442 families from Negros Oriental and Cebu City. These families had the highest poverty incidence level of 89 percent.
Household-recipients under the Set 1 are due to graduate next year, meaning they will be out of the program, as the conditional cash transfer program can be availed for five years only.
Nationwide, out of the identified 4.7 million poorest of the poor families that would be covered by the 4Ps, the DSWD has already assisted 3.2 million household-beneficiaries since 2008. (PIA 7, Cebu)
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PHIC defers hike in premiums of individually-paying members to Jan 2013
By Juju Manubag-Empuerto
CEBU CITY, Oct 4 (PIA) -- The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) deferred the increase in premiums of individually paying members from October 1, 2012 to January 1, 2013.
PhilHealth earlier announced the increase in premium of its individually paying members whose average monthly income is P25,000 and below from P300 to P600 per quarter was set to increase yesterday, October 1.
However, after further consultations with the informal sector groups, concerned national government agencies and due to recent monsoons that devastated the economic conditions of the low-income earning informal sector members, the PhilHealth Board has approved the deferment of the premium increase to January next year in order to give members more time to adjust to the new rate.
Under PHIC Circular 47-2012, the premium rate for October to December 2012 or the last quarter shall remain at P300.
Individually-paying members may also opt to lock in their coverage for the whole year of 2013 by paying the premiums at the current rate of P1,200 before December 31, 2012.
PhilHealth also informs individually paying members who missed to pay their premiums for the past quarter (July-September 2012) that they have a grace period of one month or the whole month of October to settle their payment provided they have made regular payments for the past nine consecutive months prior to the missed periods.
Those who have recently availed of a retroactive payment cannot avail of the same the second time. (FCR/JSME-PIA7 Cebu with PHIC)