In order to maintain and promote the health condition of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiaries, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has introduced Bio-Intensive Gardening (BIG) as a means to secure food for the Pantawid families and address concerns in nutrition particularly for children. The project ensures that nutritional food such as vegetables and fruits become part of the beneficiaries’ daily intake.

The launching will be held on March 23 in barangay Ayala as the initial barangay/district to showcase their backyard, communal and container gardens in one avenue. This will be followed by the launching of other BIG projects by the other districts and clusters of Pantawid beneficiaries.

In 2015, it was found out that more than 100 children in Ayala are under nourished. Due to this alarming case, the team, composed of the BLGU, CSWD, DSWD, Nutrition and Barangay Inter-Agency Council (BIAC) have decided to implement a project dubbed as “Jardin Na Mi Casa.”

The project is also in partnership with the Office of the City Agriculture that teaches the Pantawid beneficiaries how to make organic soil and the technical know-how on planting vegetables.

Meanwhile, a topic on self-reliance is taught through the department’s regular Family Development Sessions (FDS) which is conducted monthly to ensure that the beneficiaries are empowered through skills and knowledge enhancement trainings.