DSWD7 expands 4Ps to 8 LGUs in NegOr
by Jennifer Catan-Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, Nov. 11 (PIA) The Department of Social Welfare and Development region7 (DSWD-7) has expanded the anti-poverty program, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) for its set 5 implementation to eight more municipalities and cities in Negros Oriental.
DSWD7 identified the new set of areas which include the cities of Bayawan, Tanjay and Dumaguete and municipalities of Dauin, San Jose, Sta. Catalina, Siaton, and Valencia.
For this set 5 of the 4Ps implementation, some 7,801 poor families are potentially identified to receive financial assistance.
The target households are coming from the 16, 21, and 26 barangays of Bayawan, Tanjay and Dumaguete, respectively. While 23 barangays of Dauin; 14, San Jose; 16, Sta. Catalina; 22, Siaton; and 23 from Valencia which total of 164 barangays are also expected to benefit the program.
As a part of the implementation of the 4Ps, the DSWD recently conducted a program orientation to all potential household beneficiaries from the local government units (LGUs).
DSWD7 Regional Director Ma Evelyn MAcapobre said the orientation included the vital information of the project such as schedule of registration and organization of working teams for the community assembly and registration.
Present during the orientation were members of the Sangguniang Panglungsod and Sangguniang Bayan, barangay captains, the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officers (MSWDO), Municipal Health Officers, local Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) representatives and Department of Education (DepEd) representatives.
The orientation is part of the social preparation to ensure that the LGUs are able to meet the demands brought about by the conditions of the program to beneficiaries.
Director Macapobre said the household are considered beneficiaries after meeting the requirements of eligibility such as having children 0-14 years old, pregnant household member at the time of assessment and households whose economic condition is equal to or below the provincial poverty threshold.
The 4Ps is a national poverty reduction strategy of the government that aims to end the intergenerational cycle of poverty by investing on health, education and nutrition through Conditional Cash Transfer. (PIA/JCT)
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Multi-sectoral group to hold peace lectures in NegOr
By Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, Nov. 10 (PIA) --- As the peace talks between the Philippine government and communist guerrillas hit a deadlock Wednesday, a local multi-sectoral group in Negros Oriental is set to launch a series of peace forums here to get inputs from the local community on how to help government bring closure to armed conflict in the country.
The series of peace-driven lectures will kick-off after the Peace Forum and Candle-Lighting Ceremony for Peace scheduled on November 11, 2011 initiated by the Bayanihan Para Sa Kabataan (BPK), a special project of the Oriental Negros Children’s Advocacy Network (ONCAN), and the People Power Volunteers for Reform (PPVR).
Eugene Quirante of PPVR, in a recent press conference, said the peace forums will be undertaken by Kalinaw Na, a multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder peace coalition that will be formed after the Nov. 11 peace forum to deal with issues affecting the peace talk negotiations in the country.
“We hope that through the forums, we can get the citizens to participate in seeking solutions to the armed conflict and not just leave it to the panel of peace negotiators to discuss,” he said.
Quirante said they plan to include representatives from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) so they can give updates on what steps the current administration is taking towards a possible cessation of hostilities.
He is hopeful that the peace negotiations will yield positive results since armed social movements in other countries were able to forge a political settlement with the government.
In line with the peace forums, other activities seen to be implemented are Run for Peace, Art for Peace and Concert for Peace which are geared towards getting the youth on board the campaign for peace.
“The public and the government should also hear the voice of the youth especially since they are also the victims of the armed conflict in the hinterlands,” said ONCAN President Marietta Jambora.
ONCAN is a resource network of 37 non-government organizations in Negros Oriental, seven of which are focused on carrying out projects for children in far-flung conflict-affected areas in the province.
Pres. Benigno Aquino III has earlier announced that the government will continue the peace talks with the MILF as he called for an all-out justice instead of all-out war with MILF. (RMN/PIA Negros Oriental)