Male household head members of the country’s conditional cash transfer program have recently organized a group committed to protect the welfare, security, and safety of women and their children in the community.

This was the result after the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program conducted a training entitled “ERPAT” or the Empowerment and Re-affirmation of Paternal Abilities Training cum Gender-Sensitivity Training for Father Leaders across Zamboanga Peninsula last February 5-8, 2019 in Liloy, Zamboanga del Norte.

The objective of the training is to promote gender sensitivity and stop violence on women and children.

DSWD-9 Gender and Development Focal, Leonora Barahim, said that the participants voluntarily requested for the formation of an organization that would secure the safety of women and children through awareness and GAD-related activities.

“These Pantawid Pamilya fathers left their individual jobs to attend the training and it was expressed by the participants that the training opened their minds about what is happening in the community particularly on issues involving safety of women and children. So they, themselves, formed a group and elected officers that would promote gender and development in their respective communities,” Barahim said.

The training was attended by 72 fathers coming from the municipalities and provinces of Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Norte, and Zamboanga del Sur.

For their first activity, the group plans to re-echo this training to other beneficiaries of the 4Ps program through the monthly Family Development Sessions (FDS).

Since the group is voluntarily established by its members and not funded by any organization, the members decided to contribute PHP 100 from their own pockets to serve as their initial fund to support their activities.