By: Venus H. Sarmiento

MABINI  -  A total of 1,524 families in this town have received  cash cards under  the Pantawid Pamilyang   Pilipino Program (4Ps) which is part of the government’s poverty reduction program.

Social welfare officer III and 4Ps focal person Venus Reboldela said  beneficiaries from 16 barangays here received total cash assistance  amounting to P2,899,500. Barangay Tagudin has the biggest number of beneficiaries with 214 identified households followed by barangays De Gusman and Barlo with 135 and 133 beneficiaries, respectively.

Reboldela said cash assistance  is given to extremely  poor households to improve their health, nutrition and education particularly their children aged 0-14. The beneficiaries, she said, were selected through a uniform, objective and transparent set of criteria.

‘’The 4Ps has dual objectives. The first is social assistance wherein the government provides cash assistance to the poor to alleviate their needs and the second is social development to break the inter–generational  poverty cycle through investment in human capital.” Reboldela explained.  

Reboldela stressed that certain conditions need to be complied with by the beneficiaries to remain in the program. These are: That the pregnant women must get pre- and post- natal care and be attended during childbirth by a skilled/ trained health professional; parents or guardians; she  must attend responsible parenthood sessions, mother’s classes and parent effectiveness seminars; children 0-5 years old must receive regular  or preventive health check-ups and vaccines; children aged 3-5 years old must attend day care or pre-school classes at least 85% of the time, and; children 6-14 years old must enroll in elementary or high school.

Non-compliance to the conditions by the beneficiaries will result in the suspension of their cash grants or their being dropped from the program, she said.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development has also distributed cash cards to beneficiaries in Bolinao and soon in the towns of  Urbiztondo and Aguilar.(PIA-Pangasinan)