The validation of the Department of Social Welfare and Development for Social Pension and the Modified Conditional Cash Transfer for Families in Need of Special Protection in Northern Mindanao is now on its encoding and verifying stage. Area supervisors and enumerators have turned over their accomplished Family Assessment Forms (FAF) to the National Household Targeting Unit at the DSWD regional office .
Along with the forms goes the workers with their experiences they had during the validation. They believe thatthe experiences,both good and bad, were points for learning and opportunities for improvement .
As for Al Nor Paingco-Limpao,one of the enumerators in Lanao del Norte, the experience enhanced his capacity to deal with all kinds of personalities and through it, he has learned how to coordinate with local officials. Not to mention,the importance of teamwork in the course of their work on field which, he believed, was very essential in doing their tasks . Amidst the varied experiences they had, including that of eating sardines only for the day , he emphasized that it gave them the confidence that whatever job or task they would be given in the near future, they would be able to handle it well.
Steffan Skye Reyes, one of the Area Supervisors assigned for the MCCT-FNSP validation in Cagayan de Oro stressed that being an AS is no big joke.She realized that as the team leader, you have to be abreast with the activities of the team and you have to assert your authority in order to come up with an organized and credible output . This entailed several nights without enough sleep and less quality time with the family. On one hand, she said that the thing that kept them going is knowing that, they have contributed to these validated families who will be streamlined to Pantawid Pamilya Program and will be able to have access of the various programs and services of the government and other concerned stakeholders.
The experiences the enumerators and area supervisors had in the field were indeed varied and this ranges from positive to negative . Majority of them were overwhelmed of the support of the local officials which went as far as providing them vehicles in going to remote areas , providing them security escorts in conflict prone areas (some parts in Lanao del Norte), and providing them accommodations and meals after a hard days’ work.
On the negative side, they had encountered people in the barangays who confronted them as to why not all of them will be validated in their barangay, which usually ends with a litany of explaining on their part that sometimes, caused the delay of their schedule .
One area supervisor in Misamis Occidental also shared his sentiments of not being supported and accommodated well in one of the LGUs in the province which nearly persuaded him to quit and go home. Good thing, he said,he was reminded of his commitment to continue his responsibility and accountability to his team and those to be validated.
As for the other Social Pension enumerators,they also had their share of experiences. They recalled that upon hearing that enumerators would be validating them, many of the social pensioners thought that they would be bringing with them their delayed pension for the quarter . This , they all agreed tested their skill in dealing with sentimental and sensitive elderlies.
These and more,both the enumerators and area supervisors assigned in the field had their own stories to tell. The thing is,whatever they have gained from their experiences , would be but stepping stones for them and are beneficial on their part in the next job opportunities they would be given.
Apart from these, what they did, being the front liners during the validation, were indeed significant both for the indigent Social Pensioners and the MCCT-FNSP beneficiaries. (Modified Conditional Cash Transfer for Families in Need of Special Protection) .
The validation for Social Pension was conducted after the COA ruled out that out of the 15, 392 indigent social pensioners , only 4,068 were in the Listahanan database. Beneficiaries for the MCCT-FNSP were those beneficiaries who were validated as Sendong survivors . They were not regular Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries thus, the need for them to be validated before they are to be mainstreamed to the regular Pantawid Pamilya Program.
Written by Mitzie S. Santiago ,DSWD