Davao del Sur town cites gains in CCT

Tuesday 5th of June 2012

MALITA, Davao del Sur, June 5 (PIA) -- Pantawid Pamilya is continuously helping the identified poor households in the country by sending underprivileged children to school and keeping them healthy. Davao Region has been doing these since 2009 at the onset of the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Malita, Davao del Sur, is one of the eight municipalities identified in the program’s Set 2 implementation in 2009. The program covers all 30 barangays in Malita, with 9,275 registered households as of May 2012.

During a recent monitoring visit of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Malita has showcased not only its gains from the program but also how the beneficiaries have improved since the program started three years ago.

Nilo Octura, Malita North District Supervisor, said that through Pantawid Pamilya, there has been significant increase in enrollment in Malita.

“Gikan sa 9,000 ka bata nga nag-eskwela, sa pagsulod sa programa aduna na ta karoy 11,000 ka bata nga naa sa eskwelahan (From 9,000 children, with the program we now have 11,000 children in school),” he pointed out.

“Dako gyud kaau ang amoang pasalamat sa programa kay nahiapil gyud ang angayan mahiapil ug mapadala na nila ang ilang mga anak sa eskwelahan (We are very thankful of the program because the families who were selected were really deserving of the program. These poor families are now able to send their children to school),” Octura added.

Further, Barangay Poblacion Kagawad and Chairman of Education Leo Manisan added that the program has greatly helped parents in fulfilling their children’s basic needs. He emphasized the significant number of pregnant mothers in Malita that are now availing themselves of pre- and post-natal care. Children are now in school and are subjected to immunizations and deworming.

“Sa una mituman na sila sa ilang mga kondisyon tungod sa ilang madawat na kwarta apan karon nabati na nila nga importante gyud ang pag-adto sa Health Center ug eskwela (They comply to these set of conditions before because of the grant, but now they have learned the importance of good education and nutrition to their children),” Kagawad Manisan concluded.

Maria Rosales, 75 years old, a barangay health worker and a parent leader, shows her unending support to the program. Maria’s grandchild will turn 15 years old and will soon graduate from the program.

“Grabe ang akong pasalamat sa programa. Malipayon ko nga mo-graduate ang akoang apo ug dako kayo ko og utang kabubut-on sa programa nga bisan mo-gradwar man ko sa Pantawid willing gihapon ko motabang para sa ikalambo sa programa (I am very thankful to the program. I am happy that my granddaughter will graduate. I owe the program a lot that even if my household will graduate from Pantawid, I am willing to do anything to help in the improvement of the program),” Maria shares.

Pantawid Pamilya is a program that invests in human capital that is contributory to poverty reduction. The program provides cash grants of at most P1,400 to a family that has three children, ages 0 to 14, enrolled in the program. The family will be able to claim their grants if they comply with the set health and education conditions strictly required by the program. As of May 2012, Pantawid Pamilya has a total of 171,295 registered household beneficiaries in six cities and 41 municipalities in all four provinces of Davao Region. (Sheryll Jane B. Sanico-DSWD/PIA)