GENERAL SANTOS CITY — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) released some P3.9 billion in cash grant last year to beneficiaries of the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program in Region 12 and parts of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Juliet Clavel, DSWD-12’s CCT regional project coordinator, said Monday the cash grant benefitted a total of 231,150 “poorest of the poor” households in the area covered by the initiative, which is also known as Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps.
She said the grant was directly received by the beneficiaries on monthly basis through the issued cash cards.
Part of the funds went to the P600 monthly rice subsidy for each household-beneficiary, she said.
“Our clients were also provided skills training, psychological counselling and livelihoods assistance,” Clavel said.
She assured that the grants were only released to eligible beneficiaries as set in the programs guidelines.
In 2017, DSWD-12 delisted around 2,200 households from the CCT due to eligibility problems.
Most of those delisted were families that no longer have members who are qualified to avail of the assistance program.
The agency also found some names who had double entries in their database and were immediately removed.
CCT is a poverty reduction and social development strategy of the national government that provides conditional cash grants to “poorest of the poor” households to improve their health, nutrition and education.
It provides beneficiaries cash grants of P500 a month for health and nutrition expenses and P300 a month per child for educational expenses, as well as P600 in monthly rice subsidy.
The program is being implemented by DSWD-12 in 1,287 barangays in Region 12’s four provinces and five cities, and in Marawi City in the ARMM.
Region 12 comprises the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and North Cotabato as well as the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Cotabato, Kidapawan and Tacurong.
Clavel said based on their assessment, most of the household-beneficiaries were able to comply with the program’s requirements.
She cited the provision for children aged 3 to 18 have to stay in school and maintain class attendance of at least 85 percent each month.
Pregnant women are also required to avail pre- and post-natal care, and delivery must be assisted by skilled health personnel, while parents are mandatory to take “family development sessions” to enable them to become better parents, she added. (PNA)
