Recipients of gov’t aid put face to poverty

HUWARANG Pantawid Pamilya awardee Gemma Tanutan and her children Jawo (left) and Gibb celebrate with Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman during the Pantawid Pamilya National Family Day held at the Philippine Sports Arena in Pasig yesterday. LYN RILLON

MANILA, Philippines–Almost 10,000 beneficiaries of the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) gathered at the Philippine Sports Arena in Pasig City on Sunday for its first National Family Day.

The event, which carried the theme “Pamilyang Pilipino para sa Pagbabago: Tumatawid na sa Kaunlaran,” was an occasion for meeting and interaction by the beneficiaries.

“We want our beneficiaries to be proud of their efforts to surpass the challenges they face. We want them to claim that the improvements in their lives are the fruits of their own hard work, and we from the government just help them,” said Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman.

“They only hear of statistics or numbers of beneficiaries from other towns. This gathering gave them the chance to put a face to the numbers and see their fellow beneficiaries,” she said.

As of August 2014, the program has counted 4,166,638 beneficiaries who receive a P1,400 monthly stipend for their children’s health and education, according to Soliman.

She said the Department of Social Welfare and Development believed that given proper support and the right opportunities, the poor would be able to improve their own lives.

Under the program, the government invests in the health and education of children up to 18 years old from eligible poor households by giving them a monthly stipend.

The families, for their part, must send their children to school, bring them to health centers for checkups, and attend family development sessions.