80,000 Masbate families get DSWD cash assistance

As many as 80,000 families (or 400,000 people) in Masbate, one of the poorest provinces in the Philippines, now have access to social assistance and development through the Pantawid Pamilya (Conditional Cash Transfer or CCT) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

At a recent meeting, Unicef country representative Vanessa Tobin reiterated to Masbate Gov. Rizalina Seachon-Lanete and Vice Gov. Vince Revil Unicef’s continued support for the social protection program, particularly the CCT.

Addressing vulnerabilities is also the main aim of Unicef’s Country Program of Cooperation with the Philippine government for the period 2012-2016, Tobin said.

Equity and social justice

“Unicef is committed to social protection as a fundamental right for children and as a key policy for supporting equity and social justice. Social protection is an essential channel for filling the gap between families that are adequately reached by services and those that are excluded, and to promote a fair provision of services and the realization of children’s rights,” she added.

The United Nations’ agency for children is also supporting the implementation of the CCT in Pasay City and eight other areas.

In Masbate, Tobin met with the parents and children who have benefited from the program, as well as those who provide the essential services like teachers, day care workers, social workers and barangay captains.

Poverty incidence dropped

They testified how the cash grant and the complementary services had helped their families, especially their kids. Lanete also said Masbate—whose poverty incidence dropped from 65 percent in 2000 to 42.5 percent in 2009—was determined to move out of the top 10 poorest provinces.

Unicef has assisted disadvantaged communities in Masbate through such services as rehabilitation of day care centers and schools, and construction of water and sanitation facilities in remote areas like Iniwaran, Cataingan and Cawayan.

It has provided 85 center-based day care centers, 74 home-based day care centers and 75 schools, and built two day care centers and two water and sanitation facilities.

It has strengthened Masbate’s child protection systems by conducting advocacy and community education sessions on child protection issues and capacity-building for social workers, law enforcers and prosecutors on how to effectively handle cases of children in conflict with the law.

Working in partnership with other UN agencies, Unicef also supports the implementation of the Joint Program on Youth, Employment and Migration.