Cagayan de Oro City — Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Northern Mindanao expressed hope that the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (Pantawid Pamilya) would be institutionalized to ensure its continuity even with changes in leadership.
During its monthly regular meeting here, 18 CSOs passed a resolution declaring its support to the institutionalization of the conditional cash transfer of the national government.
In a three-page resolution number 001-2015, the organizations headed by its chairman Francisco Mabaso Jr, president of the People Power Volunteer for Reform (PPVR) Bukidnon, also expressed its assistance to DSWD in conducting the family development sessions with Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries on active citizenship.
The resolution said, “CSOs deemed conditional cash transfer to beneficial to its partner beneficiaries considering the upshot on partner beneficiaries’ status of well-being- from survival to subsistence (82.03%) and from subsistence to self-sufficiency (0.198%) as of April 2014.”
Aside from Mabaso, signatories of the resolution include Elvie Parel, vice president of CSOs and president of Pilipina; Eden Jacinto of GCAMFI; Michael Cagulada of GROUP Foundation; Jonathan Mongcal of Citizens Watch on Good Governance; Dr. Rosalina Huerbana of Safer River Life Saver Foundation of Liceo de Cagayan University; Rizalina Amesola of Ranao Women and Children Resource Center, Pastor Crispin Dura of NACPHIL; Adelina Sales of GTAPWo; Rufiniano Lindongan of NACPHIL; Noel Resma of MROFI-NAC MRP; Gil Salavaleon of Farmers Federation; Jimmy Oco of ALEMA Organization; Brenda Caberiana of MALISA Home; Christian Flores of Values Restoration Advocate for Mindanao; Felipe Tangcalagan of Philippine Task Force Movement; Roseller Bastillada of PHILCARED Inc.; and Virgelia Demata of Philippine Island Kids Foundation.
Along with beneficiaries, the CSOs will gather signatures in support for the institutionalization of Pantawid Pamilya.
The House Committee on Poverty Alleviation has already approved the consolidated bills institutionalizing the Pantawid Pamilya.
Tarlac Rep. Susan Yap authored House Bill (HB) 154 or “An act institutionalizing the Conditional Cash Transfer program of the government to reduce poverty and promote human capital development and providing funds therefor.”
HB 154 or the “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program Act “seeks to provide assistance to the poor, break the intergenerational cycle of poverty, promote gender equality, achieve universal primary education, reduce child mortality and improve maternal health, which are also the part of the government’s Millennium Development Goals.”
Lawyer Araceli F. Solamillo, Regional Director of DSWD Field Office 10, welcomed the support of the CSOs.
Given the success of the program in reaching out to the poor, Solamillo said there is a need to ensure sustainability through an enacted policy.
Today, there are 283,150 Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries in Northern Mindanao.
Under the bill, qualified household beneficiaries will receive conditional cash transfer of P500 per month for health and nutrition expenses, P300 per month per child for educational expenses, and a supplementary education grant of P300 for each child who maintains passing grades in all subjects after the first year of implementation of the program. A maximum of three children will be allowed for each qualified household beneficiary.
The bill will limit the time span of beneficiaries to avail the assistance to seven years and provides programs that would ensure that said beneficiaries will remain non-poor after the time limit.
According to a study conducted by Dr. Celia Reyes of the House Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department, school attendance rates of children six to 11 years old from Pantawid Pamilya household families were higher compared to children from non-Pantawid families. This marks the positive impact of the program to school participation of children at the primary level.
Pantawid Pamilya invests on the health and education of children by providing monthly cash grants to households complying to it.
The studies also disclosed that most of the parent beneficiaries who are poor belong to the categories of those who did not finish their studies or out of school youths (OSYs).
Through the program, parents learn the value of good health and education to their children’s future and its effect in the struggle against poverty.
At present, over 10 million children in the country are sent to schools through the program.
Last March, a total of 333,673 high school beneficiaries nationwide were able to graduate through the program.
Some of them continued their studies in college through scholarships and graduated with honors.
More than 4.4 million poor households in the country are benefiting from the program.
Written by Oliver B. Inodeo