Shalaine Marie Lucero, DSWD-7 assistant regional director, says the 5,384 families, who graduated from the 4Ps program were no longer qualified for the program. | Futch Anthony Inso
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Some 5,384 families in Central Visayas will graduate this year from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Shalaine Marie Lucero, DSWD-7 assistant regional director for operations, said that these families were no longer qualified for the program.
She said that part of the qualification for 4Ps beneficiaries to continue to avail the program would be that they should have a child ranging from zero to 18 years old or a child enrolled in school.
Aside from this, they should also be considered as a poor family.
Lucero said that out of 5,384 families, who would graduate from the program, 1,565 of them are already considered as self-sufficient or no longer considered as poor, while the rest had no longer a qualified child.
“By the word itself we all know that kung self-reliant, kaya na gyud nilang magpakabuhi on their own. And they have economic sufficiency and they have met the social adequacy indicators, meaning naay community participation, maayo ang ilang relationship in the family,” Lucero said.
(By the word itself we all know that if one is self reliant then one can support himself. And they have the economic sufficiency and they have met the social adequacy indicators, meaning there is community participation. Their relationship with their family is good.)
Last week, the agency has also conducted a graduation ceremony for 157 families in Daanbantayan town, who no longer qualify for the program, 34 families in Boljoon town, and 55 families in Tayasan, Negros Oriental.
DSWD-7 Kilos Unlad program
Lucero, however, said that if a family had exited the program even if their poor status had not yet improved, the agency would continue to support them under their “Kilos Unlad” initiative, in coordination with the local government unit (LGUs) and other national agencies.
“And the beauty about this activity is makuha nato ang commitment sa LGUs, and this three LGUs nga naka-start nata sa graudation really expressed their commitment nga saw-on namo ang mga beneficiaries, she said.
“Some committed to offer scholarships for those who have college students, some offered to provide employment to the munisipyo, and other assistance that the LGU can provide,” she added.
4Ps program
Meanwhile, the agency is also targeting to add 18,262 families to be included in the 4Ps program this year.
Of this number, 2,079 are still being processed to be enrolled in the program.
Under the 4Ps, a family will receive P300 for school children in elementary per month, P500 for junior high school, and P700 for senior high school. Although, under the Republic Act No. 11310 or the 4Ps Act, a family can only enroll a maximum of 3 children in the program for its educational grant.
The program also provides P750 as a health grant per month and a P600 rice subsidy per month.
Pantawid members would also need to comply with the conditions of the program such as attending the family development session, sending their children to school, among others.
The 4Ps law also provides that a beneficiary of the program would only continue to avail of the services for only seven years.
/dbs
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