By: Erwin Mabugat
Can the P1,400 actually eradicate poverty?
The answer is a big yes! It can also change one’s life.
The Villanueva family can prove the fact: the amount has changed ideally their living.
Ma. Fe Villanueva, a mother of 7 children, recounted how her husband’s meager income on fishing supplied their daily needs. “Kulang gd”, she lamented.
She recalled that she always procured her children’s school supplies incomplete. Sometime, her children went to school without ‘baon’. Sometime, they skipped meals in the morning. And perhaps omitted classes.
Her children are obviously deprived of regular but good and nutritious meals. The eldest John Carlo (10), Bleedjamil (7) and Tony Che (6) all look smaller than their ages. So do their other four siblings. The three study at Pedro E. Ramos Elementary School in Barangay Banquerohan.
The family of nine lives in an elevated nipa-thatched hut along the shoreline of the barangay. The structure is very old and seemingly fragile.
Today, Ma. Fe, 33, always smiles when she gets the P1,400 every month for her children’s education and health expenses.
The Villanueva family is only one of the 5,472 beneficiaries who just avail of the ‘Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4P’s. Ma. Fe has initially received the monthly benefits. “The 4P’s answers our prayers,” she said. She added that her family is no longer experiencing the nightmare they had: ‘gutom.’
The 4P’s is the nationally-funded project of President Benigno Aquino and Mayor Patrick Escalante, with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as the implementing agency.
According to Pamela Palomillo and Rhea Prudente, the city links from the DSWD Regional Office who have been assigned in Cadiz, this five-year poverty alleviation program has an annual budget allocation of three billion pesos.
The city links said that each family beneficiary is given a total of P1,400 every month or P2,800 for every two months. The amount covers the school expenses for three children who go to school or P300 for each of three grantees, and the health support of P500.
However, the city links stressed, only the family with 0 to 14 years old children can avail of the program, and that three or a maximum of three children can qualify. “The grantees must go to school”, they added.
“Non-compliance of the conditions will result to the immediate suspension or cancellation of the benefits,” they declared.
In order to properly monitor the program, the 4P’s has seven city links from the region who would oversee the implementation. They are staying in the city for the project duration. Not to mention the six LGU links and 23 community links. It has also parent leaders.
Survey and progress reports are submitted weekly.
As of this writing, the project has already released a total of P11,455,800 to Cadiz beneficiaries in the City’s 22 barangays.
Andres Bonifacio has 214 beneficiaries and received the amount of P418,000; Banquerohan, 265, P557,200; Zone 1, 226, P434,200; Zone 2, 170, P357,200; Zone 3, 93, P184,800; Zone 4, 244, P501,400; Zone 5, 34, P 74,800; Zone 6, 297, P622,200;
Burgos, 207, P463,200; Cabahug, 357, P742,200; Cadiz Viejo, 310, P652,200; Caduhaan, 292, P650,200; CS Villacin, 215, P476,200; Daga, 538, P1,080,400; Jerusalem, 137, P279,200; Luna, 147, P270,000; Mabini, 364, P764,800; Magsaysay, 241, P531,400; Sicaba, 168, P365,400; Tiglawigan, 312, P655,200; Tinampaan, 410, P879,900; and, VF Gustilo, 150, P339,600.
The 4P’s has short-term and long-term goals. The short-term includes the provision of financial assistance to the family recipients, while the long-term refers to the good values they will learn from the program, such as, the self-reliance, responsibility, sustainability and education.
The project will qualify a family based on the following: 1. Residents of the poorest municipalities based on 2003 Small Area Estimates of NSCB; 2. Households whose economic condition is equal to or below the provincial poverty threshold; 3. Households that have children 0-14 years old and/ or have a pregnant woman at the time of assessment (6-14 years old children must be in school); and, 4. Households that agree to meet the conditions specified in the program./*
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