By Brian Jules Campued
Poor families in Batanes will now be able to receive cash aid as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) formally launched the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in Basco on Monday.
Assistant secretary for the National Household Targeting System and 4Ps (NHTS-4Ps) Marites Maristela said that despite having the lowest poverty incidence rate in the Philippines, at least 562 households in the province have been identified as poor based on DSWD’s Listahanan 3 data.
Batanes has a total of 297 active 4Ps beneficiaries, according to DSWD.
“By providing cash grants to eligible families, the program aims to alleviate their financial burdens and empower them to invest in their future, particularly in the areas of health and education,” Maristela said.
Upon the request of Batanes Governor Marilou Cayco, the DSWD official said the agency conducted an assessment and registration of the households in an effort to bring government programs closer to the people.
In a news release, the DSWD said some 91 household beneficiaries from Itbayat town have already received cash cards on April 13, with remaining beneficiaries from different municipalities in Batanes set to receive their cash cards on April 15 and 16.
Cayco, likewise, thanked the DSWD for rolling out the program in the province.
“Sa wakas, may 4Ps na sa Batanes!” the governor told her constituents.
The 4Ps is a flagship program of the national government that aims to address poverty by providing financial assistance to extremely poor Filipino households in the form of cash grants, such as educational, health, and rice subsidies.
4Ps ‘graduates’ in Q1
Meanwhile, a total of 25,904 household beneficiaries graduated from the 4Ps in the first quarter of 2024 as they achieved “self-sufficiency status,” a DSWD official announced on April 11.
Assistant Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group Irene Dumlao said the 4Ps graduates–households who were assessed to have achieved self-sufficiency and those who have volunteered to exit from the program–are then endorsed to the local government units for further interventions to sustain their status or for aftercare monitoring.
“Through initiatives like this, beneficiaries would be equipped with essential skills, knowledge, and resources to pursue sustainable livelihoods and build brighter futures for themselves and their families,” Dumlao added.
The DSWD official, likewise, reiterated the commitment of the agency to supporting the 4Ps graduates in their journey “toward greater economic independence.”
“By investing in human capital and providing vulnerable families with the tools they need to succeed, the program has made significant steps in reducing poverty and improving the well-being of Filipinos,” she said. – av
