4Ps beneficiaries reach 305,379 families in Bicol

By Ed de Leon

LEGAZPI CITY, Feb 15 (PIA) -- More Bicolano poor families are now benefiting from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the government that has now reached 305,379 families in the Bicol region as of January 25 of this year, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) regional office here.

Remia T. Tapispisan, DSWD Bicol regional director, said that more extremely poor families living in 2,525 barangays in the six provinces, 106 municipalities, and seven cities of Bicol are now covered by the expansion of the program this year.

She explained that the 4Ps is an anti poverty reduction strategy of the government that provides grants to extremely poor households to improve their health, nutrition and education particularly of children aged 0-14.

Also known as the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program where extremely poor families are given a maximum monthly cash assistance of P1,400 per family which includes P500 per month for nutrition and health expenses and P300 per month per child (with a maximum of three children per household) for educational expenses.

Under the program household-beneficiaries must comply with certain conditions to continue receiving the cash grants, which could go on for a maximum of five years, Tapispisan said.

She added that children of the beneficiaries must regularly go to school 85 percent of the school time, receive vaccinations and visit the health center for regular cash checkups and treatments, while parents must attend responsible parenthood seminars, mother's classes, and parent effectiveness seminars.

Tapispisan said that the province of Camarines Sur had the highest number of beneficiaries with 99,619 living in 34 municipalities and the cities of Naga and Iriga, while Masbate had the second highest number beneficiaries with 77,272 living in 20 municipalities and in Masbate City.

Third is Sorsogon with 53,726 beneficiaries living in 14 municipalities and in Sorsogon City.Fourth, is Albay with 31,396 beneficiaries residing in 15 municipalities and in the cities of Legazpi Tabaco and Ligao. Fifth is Camarines Norte with 27,996 beneficiaries living in 12 municipalities, and sixth is Catanduanes where 15,370 benefited spread in 11 municipalities of the province.

Tapispisan said that the beneficiaries of the program are regularly being monitored by their municipal links officers supported by volunteers from accredited non-government organizations and has delisted those who do not comply with the program.

She added that with an average of monthly cash assistance of P1,400 per beneficiary the government will spend an estimated P5.13 billion for the 305,379 beneficiaries for the whole year of 2012. (MAL/EDL, PIA V)

Technology trainings on squash catsup and nata de coco for Siglang Pinoy project target this year in Labo and Basud towns

By Rosalita B. Manlangit

DAET, Camarines Norte, Feb 15 (PIA) -- A series of technology trainings on squash catsup processing and nata de coco production is set this year for the two organization beneficiaries of Labo and Basud towns under the Siglang Pinoy Project of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology(FNRI-DOST).

Science Research Specialist II Marilou Belgado of the DOST provincial office here said that within this year, the agency will also grant equipments for the two group beneficiaries and afterwards they will be train on squash catsup processing and nata de coco production.

Beneficiaries are the Rural Improvement Club (RIC) of barangay Matnog of Basud town for the nata de coco product and the Samahan ng mga Kababaihan sa Pagpapaunlad ng Pamayanan of Barangay Bakiad and Sta. Cruz of Labo town for the squash catsup.

She said that each organization beneficiary will be provided with equipments of worth more than P150,000 and free trainings to be conducted by the DOST Camarines Norte/Region V.

The Siglang Pinoy project is a three year project (2011-2012), spearheaded by the FNRI and funded by the Philippine Council for Agricualture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARD) of the DOST.

It is a community-based project which aims to empower six selected food poor and undernourished areas in the country through mix interventions on nutrition communication and technology transfer.

The interventions include nutrition promotion, food and nutrition training, nutrition-school-on-air and media dialogues.

The projects for this year were identified to support the Siglang Pinoy Project during the two-day training on “Empowering Stakeholders of the Accelerated Hunger Mitigation Program Through Nutrition Communication and Technology Transfer” on February 1-2 at FNRI, Taguig City.

The project was launched here last year through several activities like seminars on food and nutrition, media dialogues, and team conferences.

Also included in the project were beneficiaries from Iligan City, Ipil in Zaboanga Sibugay, Roxas, Zamboanga del Norte, and Bayawan City. (MAL/RBM,PIA Camarines Norte).

ALBAY PDRRMC Advisory 1:

SUSPENSION OF PRESCHOOL, ELEM. AND HIGH SCHOOL ALBAY UNDER PREPAREDNESS STATUS
February 14, 2012
As of 11:00 PM

... Due to the potential negative effects THICK CLOUDINESS associated with an Low Pressure Area estimated to affect Albay with rains of 10-18mm/hr (vs. 7.5mm being heavy) starting 4:30am, the following are issued for public safety and disaster avoidance to secure zero casualty goals during disaster.

1. Upon advice of OCD-RDRRMC, classes in preschool, elementary and highschool tomorrow are suspended until lifted.

2. Mayors are now being informed to prepare those in low lying and landslide-prone areas should for countermeasures including possible evacuation.

3. No crossing of flooded waters, swelling rivers, artificial pools of water.

4. Households living near riverbanks and mountain slopes are to take precautionary measures.

5. Army trucks and other military mobility assets are hereby requested to be prepositioned in Libon, Oas, Polangui, Ligao and with standby capacity at Apsemo.

6. All C/MDRRMCs are directed to monitor and disseminate weather bulletins and PDRRRMC advisories to BDRRMCs and to monitor and address situations in their respective jurisdictions.

7. APSEMO staff to be on 24 hour monitoring and closely coordinating with PAGASA Legazpi (Southern Luzon Weather Bureau) and will release advisories through the PDRRMC Infoboard.

So ordered.

JOEY SARTE SALCEDA
Governor & PDRRMC Chairman