DSWD hands out cash grants for 2,300 families in Manjuyod town

by: Rachelle M. Nessia

DUMAGUETE CITY, April 6 (PIA) --- Around 2,300 families in Manjuyod town today received their cash grants from the government under the state-initiated Pantawid Pamilya (2Ps) program government-initiated poverty reduction strategy.

This is the first cash pay-out of the 2Ps in Manjuyod, a town less than two hours away from the capital city of Dumaguete in the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines, as this is the first time for the program to roll out in Manjuyod, said First District Board Member Jessica Villanueva in an interview with Philippine Information Agency.

Manjuyod is also the program's last stop in the first political district of the province, bringing to 17 the total local government units (LGUs)covered by 2Ps in Negros Oriental.

The 2Ps household beneficiaries in Manjuyod received two month's worth of financial aid from January to February.

Manjuyod's cash payout came in the heels of back-to-back cash distribution ceremonies held March 31 in Guihulngan and Mabinay towns during which nearly P19 million were handed out to more than a thousand family-beneficiaries in the two areas.

Villanueva said Guihulngan holds the biggest number of 2Ps beneficiairies in the district, with more than 6,000 identified families coming from 33 barangays.

The towns chosen to benefit from 2Ps are based on their poverty incidence ranking wherein extremely poor households in these towns are selected to receive a monthly cash grant amounting to as much as P1,400 based on the number of children who are going to school. (RMN/PIA-7 Negros Oriental)

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2Ps cash mismanagement not a problem in our district- NegOr solon
by: Rachelle M. Nessia

DUMAGUETE CITY, April 6 (PIA) --- The congresswoman of the First District in Negros Oriental, Philippines has shrugged off reports of cash mismanagement being a hindrance to the intended goals of the government's poverty reduction program dubbed as Pantawid Pamilyan (2Ps), saying that this is not a problem to the program's implementation in her district.

"We never had any problems with this in our area. Just because it is happening in one district does not mean it is also true in other districts," said First District Rep. Jocelyn Limkaichong in an interview with the Philippine Information Agency.

This after the congressman of the third political district in the province, Cong. Pryde Henry Teves, earlier claimed that the cash grants being distributed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to families identified to benefit from 2Ps are not being used according to the conditions set by the program.

Teves reportedly received data showing an increase in liquor sales in the Bayawan City and Sta. Catalina areas (two LGUs that fall within his district) following the cash pay-out held by DSWD for the families in said areas in December last year.

 
He alleged that the fathers of the benefitting families are squandering the government-provided funds on alcoholic beverages instead of using it for their family's health and nutritional expenses as required in the 2Ps set of conditions for the beneficiaries to comply.

Limkaichong said that it may be true that this is happening but "it's only a small percentage" of the families covered by 2Ps.

The congresswoman stressed that she has so far not seen any negative implications arising from the program's implementation in her district.

Limkaichong's observation was echoed by First District Board Member Jessica Villanueva who said that she has not observed nor heard of any reports of cash mismanagement from 2PS families in their area. "It's not a problem in our district," she said.

The board member, however, reminded 2Ps beneficiaries during her speech at the ceremonial cash payout held in Manjuyod town today to use their money wisely. "I told them that it's their own lookout. If they mismanage the money given to them by the government, then they themselves will be the cause why they have been dropped from the program," said Villanueva.

Violating the 2Ps conditions or what is known as “grievance error” is a basis for removal from the program, according to DSWD Region 7 Information Officer Aileen Lariba.

Some of the program's conditions include attendance to family development sessions, regular preventive health check-ups and vaccines for children aged 0-5, at least 85% attendance of children 3-5 year olds in day care or preschool classes and twice-a-year deworming for children aged 6-14 year-olds.

2Ps is a government-initiated poverty reduction program wherein selected poor families in towns with high poverty incidence rates are given monthly cash grants to address the family's health and nutrition expenses. (RMN/PIA-7 Negros Oriental)