INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) announced on Wednesday that it would start giving out this month an additional P600 as rice subsidy to each household-beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
“Following the directive of President Rodrigo R. Duterte during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July 2016, the rice subsidy hopes to address the hunger problem that these poor households continue to battle,” DSWD Secretary Judy Taguiwalo said in a statement.
The additional grant is included in the P78.2-billion budget for the program for 2017. The program has 4.4 million beneficiaries nationwide.
In his SONA, Duterte said his administration would “intensify its social protection programs so it can use its resources and expertise to make a dent in the country’s poverty levels.”
The government’s Pantawid Pamilya is a social protection program that was introduced in Abra province in 2009 by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and was continued by President Benigno Aquino III.
It invests in the health and education of poor households primarily of children aged 18 and below. Households receive a cash grant provided they comply with the program’s conditions.
Taguiwalo said only active and compliant households were entitled to the additional P600.
These conditions include school attendance of at least 85% per month for children enrolled in the elementary or high school. Children aged 5 and below need to undergo preventive check-up as mandated by the Department of Health (DOH), while children enrolled in the elementary must receive deworming pills twice within the school year.
On the other hand, pregnant women must receive pre- and post-natal care based on the DOH’s protocol, and lastly, parents or guardians are required to attend monthly Family Development Sessions (FDS).
“We are hopeful that the additional cash grant will be used for its intended purpose. We will use FDS to ensure that the beneficiaries are informed of the relevant provision on rice subsidy,” Taguiwalo said. CBB/rga