To ensure that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) remains true to its thrust to improve the well-being of poor Filipino families, DSWD Secretary Rolando Joselito D. Bautista joined field staff of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in Region XII for the second round of assessment of its household beneficiaries on October 19, 2019.

The objective of the two-day field assessment is to determine the level of well-being of 4Ps beneficiaries in the program.

The Secretary was joined by DSWD Field Office (FO) XII Regional Director Cezario Joel C. Espejo and 4Ps National Program Director Gemma Gabuya.

During the assessment, the Secretary had a chance to meet with the parent-leaders of Malungon and Malandag in Sarangani; and Tantangan in South Cotabato. He encouraged them to support the anti-poverty initiatives of the government.

The results of the assessment will serve as reference for the planning of government interventions and programs towards the improvement of the lives of poor families across the nation.

4Ps is an investment in human capital which seeks to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty by focusing on education and health of the beneficiaries. It uses the conditional cash transfer scheme to provide cash grants to the beneficiaries who comply with the program conditionalities which are: children 3 to 18 years old must be enrolled in kindergarten, elementary, and high school, and attend classes at least 85% of the time each month; children 0-5 years old must receive regular preventive health check-ups, growth monitoring, and vaccines; pregnant women get pre and post-natal care (must be attended by skilled/professional health workers); children in elementary must receive de-worming pills twice a year; and attendance of the grantee/parent/guardian to the monthly Family Development Sessions (FDS). -30-