ILOILO City, (PNA) — The Dept. of Social Welfare and Development here has released a total P5 billion for poor households covered by Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program in Western Visayas which ensures that children are in school and healthy.
This was revealed by Regional Director Ma. Evelyn B. Macapobre, who recently delivered her State of the Region Address (SORA), saying the program is now covering all Local Government Units in Region 6 with a total of 297,831 household beneficiaries.
Pantawid Pamilyang, also known as the conditional cash transfer program of the national government, is a human development program that invests in health and education of the poor with children aged zero to 14 years old. Beneficiaries are given cash grants in exchange of compliance to conditions.
“This year, compliance to the condition on health such as immunization and prenatal visit was at 97.39 percent and attendance in primary and secondary school for children 6-14 years old was at 96.86 percent,” said Macapobre, saying that compliance to conditions was high for the period January to June 2013.
Other conditions such as deworming for children six to 14 years old had a 99.16 percent compliance rate; attendance in day care for children three to five years old, 92.03 percent; and attendance to Family Development Session (FDS) for parents, 96.24 percent.
In 2012, monitoring of compliance to program conditions also posted high rates with health visits/immunization was pegged at 98.29 percent; deworming at 98.78 percent; attendance in day care, 97 percent; attendance in primary and secondary school, 97 percent; family development sessions, 97 percent.
Spot checks conducted on program implementation showed that enrollment rate has increased in 2010 with 96 percent as against 86 percent in 2007.
In 2011, another spot check was conducted. That time, focus was given on how beneficiaries were using their cash grants. Results showed that beneficiaries spent their cash grants for education and school materials, food, health and medical expenses.
World Bank, in its imgram is “on track to achieve its objectives of promoting investments in health and education.”