ZAMBOANGA CITY, (PNA) — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has reiterated that the cash grants given through the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) are not dole out and does not teach laziness to the beneficiaries.
DSWD Regional Program Coordinator for 4Ps Fatima Caminan said the program is an intervention strategy of the agency to provide the beneficiaries the appropriate assistance.
Caminan, however, said the money provided the beneficiaries is only an augmentation and not enough to meet all the basic needs of the family.
She also said while most of the beneficiaries have jobs, they don’t have fix income since their employment are seasonal in nature.
Under 4Ps, the beneficiaries receive a maximum of monthly P2,800 assistance depending on the number of children below 14 years old. It is released every two months.
Among the program’s conditionalities, the beneficiaries are required to send their children to school, have them immunized and for pregnant mothers to undergo pre-natal check-ups.
The beneficiaries are also required to undergo family development seminar to teach them proper budgeting and others.
She said there were 1,937 beneficiaries delisted from the program since January this year for non-compliance of the requirements.
Caminan said Zamboanga Peninsula has a total of 280,000 4Ps beneficiaries. Of this, 47,000 beneficiaries are in this city and Isabela City.
The DSWD regional office has allocation of P537,264,000 for this year’s 4Ps program.