ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR- Beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program of Poblacion Lapuyan,Zamboanga del Sur lead the celebration of the Pantawid Pamilya day through Walk for a Cause held in Municipal grounds on May 29.
The event now on its 6th year is an annual activity conducted to highlight the beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilya of the municipality through conduct of different events and activities. This year’s fund raising event aims to support the call of Municipal Local Government units to end Violence Against Women (VAW) supporting the Municipal Gender and Development code of Lapuyan series of 2007. The amount raised was donated to the Balay Paglaum, a resident shelter for sexually abused girls located in Pagadian city. The mode of raising an amount was in a form of minimal registration fee of Php 2.00-3.00 pesos per beneficiary who will participate in the event.
A total of 3,141 beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilya and 525 beneficiaries of MCCT-IP together with their Barangay chairman assembled in four designated areas at Lapuyan Falls Park, Lapuyan Freedom Stage, Sitio Behing and Tubo, Poblacion. The participants walked with their streamers towards the Municipal grounds where the four groups gathered for the short program.
The program highlighted the turn-over ceremony of the partial amount raised of php 21,871 led by Vice Mayor Joel Sulong to Sr. Teresita Cordova of Religious of Good Sheperd- Balay Paglaum as the receiving beneficiary. The activity projected to raise an amount of 46,498 pesos with other pledges and donations from MLGU, BLGU and NGAs as a support to this initiative.
In an interview, Sr. Cordova expressed her appreciation and gratitude to the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiaries for holding this kind of event. She said, “Masaya ako, I am very aware na ang mga beneficiaries ng Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program ay Mahihirap, Ibig sabihin sila rin mismo bilang poor people ay may pagmamalasakit din sila sa kapwa nilang poor. Malaking bagay iyon, Hindi ibig sabihin na sila ay poor ay wala na sa silang dignidad” (I am very aware that the beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program are poor, so even them have concerns for the poor too.It’s a big thing, It doesn’t mean that even they are poor they do no longer have the dignity). She lauded the beneficiaries for the activity as an initial step to open their consciousness especially on the issues of women.
The Balay Paglaum started its operation in 1999 in Dinas municipality until Bishop Emmanuel Treveno Cabajar requested to build a shelter for girls in Pagadian City in 2006 because of the prevailing number of victims with sexually abused cases. The shelter operates not only for Zamboanga del Sur clients but also areas covered by DOPIM (Dipolog, Ozamis, Pagadian, Iligan, Marawi).
Sr. Cardova said the pledges and donations they receive can go a long way as it helps them operate the shelter by assisting the clients not only basic food and educational provisions but also other services like capacity building and eco-therapy program. She also said that it is the first time that a certain municipality conceive this kind of initiative and will pose a challenge for other municipalities to emulate this act of generosity.
The Pantawid Pamilya day is conducted every Month of May in the municipality of Lapuyan. Other successful activities conducted in the past years were Tree Planting activity, Night Market and Kasalan ng Bayan. ##