4PS BENEFITS 85,395 BICOLANO FAMILIES
By Ed de Leon

LEGAZPI CITY – The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps, the anti poverty reduction program of the national government, has so far benefited 85,395 families in the six provinces of Bicol, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) regional office here.

Remia T. Tapispisan, DSWD Bicol regional director, said since it started in August of 2008 the 4Ps now covers 59 municipalities, 571 barangays of Bicol and will expand next year with the expected approval of the P21 billion budget for the program now being one of the center piece programs of the Aquino Administration.

She said that more than 200,000 families will be added next year to the current number of beneficiaries and will cover more poor families in barangays and municipalities.

Tapispisan said that the 4Ps has so far paid out a total of P717,855,762.00 to the beneficiaries as of September 30 of 2010.

She also said that the more than 85,000 beneficiaries in Bicol are distributed as follows: Albay 11,869, Camarines Sur 9,078, Masbate 52,309, Camarines Norte 2,026, Catanduanes 1,387 and Sorsogon 8,726.

Tapispisan said that a beneficiary family receives some P6,000 a year or P500 per month for health and nutrition, P3,000 for one school year or 10 months or P300 per month per child for a maximum of three children or a total of P1,400 per month or P15,000 yearly as long as they comply with the conditionalities set by the program.

She explained that the 4Ps beneficiaries are the poorest families identified through the use of the Eigibility Check (EC), a statistical formula that estimates household income through the use of proxy variables indicated in the household survey forms.

She added that the 4Ps is designed to hit the goals set in the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in the areas of poverty reduction, achieving universal primary education , reducing child mortality, improving maternal health and promoting gender equality and empowering women.

The program is also known as the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program of the government wherein the beneficiaries have to follow certain conditions to be able to be maintained and receive the monthly allowance.

Tapispisan said that the program’s conditionalities are as follows: 1. Pregnant mother must avail of pre and post natal care and be attended during child birth by a trained health professional; 2. Parents must attend responsible parenthood sessions, mother classes and parent effectiveness seminars; 3. 3 to 5 years old children must attend day care classes or pre-school classes 85 percent of the time; 4. 6-14 years old children must attend elementary and high school classes at least 85 percent of the time and 5. 6-14 years old children must receive de-worming twice a year. (PIA V/mal)