By Jelly F. Musico
MANILA, Oct. 12 (PNA) – Malacanang assured on Sunday that the family of an 11-year-old boy who was robbed of his earnings from selling ‘pandesal’ (bread) would be included as recipients of the government’s 4Ps or Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.
”If they are not yet included, they will be given participation in the 4Ps to make sure that their daily needs will be supported,” Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in an interview with Radio ng Bayan.
The 4Ps is a conditional cash transfer program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that will be funded with Php78 billion in 2015.
According to the reports, the boy was selling pandesal in the Deparo area on Thursday last week between 6 to 6:30am when a man robbed his Php200 earnings and took his pandesal box.
The boy was reportedly traumatized as seen in an online video which went viral. He was seen shaking and crying after the robbery.
The boy started as scavenger at the age of 8 but decided to sell pandesal two years ago for his school allowance and for the food of his family.
He was also reportedly working hard because he wanted to buy bicycle.
The boy’s mother is a single parent and work as a laundrywoman. His elder brother is a 16-year-old out of school youth while his younger brother is two years old. (PNA)