GENERAL SANTOS CITY (PIA) — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Region 12 gears up for the “First 1,000 Days (F1KD)” program rollout to ensure that pregnant mothers and their unborn children receive adequate nutrition and healthcare during this critical period.
The F1KD is an additional conditional cash grant for eligible Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries, particularly pregnant women or those who have children under the age of two, in support of the “Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act” of 2018.
Audrey Amarante-Soliva, the information officer for 4Ps, said in an earlier interview with PIA SarGen’s “i-INFORM Mo” radio program that the P350 cash grant from F1KD for qualified beneficiaries will be on top of the P750 monthly health cash grant that a 4Ps household recipient receives.
She said the primary goal of the grant is to provide the family with better access to nutrition and healthcare services during the critical first 1,000 days of a child’s life as part of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s priority agenda.
“Talagang napakahalaga ng unang three years ng isang bata. Magsisimula yan sa sinapupunan [o] pagbubuntis ng isang nanay. Priority po natin na talagang maiwasan ‘yung stunting at malnutrition,” Soliva emphasized.
(The first three years of a child’s life are truly important. It starts in the womb [or] during a mother’s pregnancy. Our main priority is to avoid stunting and malnutrition.)
She said just like in 4Ps or any other government grants, F1KD also imposes conditions that grant recipients must meet to avoid penalties.
The conditions start at pregnancy, where a mother must have “regular prenatal check-ups at panganganak sa (and give birth at) health facilities.” After childbirth, a mother must ensure her child has “regular check-ups at pagbabakuna sa mga bata [at] pagbibigay sa anak ng wastong pagkain at wastong pangangalaga (vaccination for children and providing the child with proper nourishment and care)” until the child reaches two years old.
As the program’s implementation is underway, Jonas Andrade, an information officer for DSWD Soccsksargen’s National Household Targeting System Division, advised beneficiaries to prepare in advance the necessary documents for F1KD registration or updating information.
These include health certificates of pregnant women and vaccination cards of children.
“Dapat lagi po nating dala ang mga documents po natin para magparehistro. Kapag wala ‘yun, di po talaga navavalidate ‘yung mga updating na ginagawa kapag kulang ang supporting documents,” he added.
(We should always bring our documents to register. If we don’t have that, the updates being made won’t really be validated when the supporting documents are lacking.)
Andrade also said that DSWD partnered with the Philippine Statistics Authority-PhilSys to assist in its “i-Registro” information system, an upgraded version of “Listahanan,” which helps ensure the eligibility of 4Ps beneficiaries.
He stated that beneficiaries can register or update online or through the DSWD municipal links assigned in their respective areas.
Since the last quarter of 2024, DSWD has begun conducting information drives in the region to inform and guide qualified 4Ps beneficiaries about the F1KD cash grant. (SRP – PIA SarGen)
