Leyte municipalities get its share of 4Ps beneficiaries

By Provincial Media Relations Center
June 21, 2010

TACLOBAN CITY  –  The poverty alleviation program of the government, the expanded Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps, continue to hit in far-flung villages as at least 16,134 new household beneficiaries are set to receive their cash cards in the province of Leyte.

In the latest release of conditional cash grants under this poverty reduction initiative of the outgoing administration, at least 500 beneficiary-households in Capoocan town in Leyte were personally given of their conditional cash grants.

Capoocan is part of the total 23 other municipalities and two cities in the province of Leyte identified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-8) with validated 4Ps beneficiaries.

More or less 450 beneficiaries queued to claim their cash subsidies at the Capoocan Gymnasium after the Launching of the Conditional Cash Grant ceremony was held and attended by key officials that include DSWD Assistant Secretary Ruel Lucentales, Land Bank of the Philippines Regional Head Alex Lorayes, DSWD-8 Regional Director Letecia Corillo and Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla.

Capoocan Mayor Federico Carolino said the beneficiaries were elated upon receiving the cash grants for they now have money to spend for their children’s uniforms and school supplies as classes opened this week.

According to Dir. Corillo, one household beneficiary can get a cash grant of P500 to a maximum of P1,400 depending on the number of children of one household. The same amount would be provided to them through the Land Bank every month for then next five years.

Dir. Corillo however warned that the cash grant may be easily given, but the beneficiaries should strictly follow the conditions under which it was released, otherwise they would be stricken from the list of beneficiaries and would not receive in the five-year time the cash grant is in effect.

“That is why we call it conditional grant because this subsidy is for certain reasons and not to be spent on anything we can think of,” Dir. Corillo said in her speech.

She added that the amount is meant at helping poor families meet some of their family requirements. For a family to avail of the 4Ps benefits, their income must be less than P5,000 a month.

The money given to them must be spent properly, especially for the health of the family and the education of the children, Corillo said.

The children must go to school, the health of the family must be well taken cared of and the children must have complete immunization and pregnant mothers must have their prenatal check up, she added.