Pursuant to Republic Act 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, beneficiaries of the country’s conditional cash transfer program will be receiving emergency subsidy under the Social Amelioration Program as top up to their regular cash grants from 4Ps.

The said program is government’s help for the poor and most vulnerable sectors to mitigate the effects brought by the strict implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine in majority of cities and municipalities due to the health emergency on COVID-19.

The provision of Emergency Subsidy will be done in 2 tranches, the first of which has already been credited to the beneficiaries’ ATM accounts last April 03, 2020 and the 2^nd tranche will be credited on another schedule.

For Region IX, the prescribed amount of emergency subsidy is Php 5,000 based on the region’s minimum wage level.

This means that each 4Ps household will be able to receive Php 3,650 on top of the Php 750 health grant and Php 600 rice subsidy for the month of April.

The emergency subsidy, health grant, and rice subsidy will compose the Php 5,000 Social Amelioration Program grant for the Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries.

The beneficiaries are encouraged to coordinate with their city/municipal links for the withdrawal of their cash grants and emergency subsidy while observing the protocols on social distancing and other preventive measures to avoid possible transmission of the corona virus.

Earlier, the Department has already credited the Period 6 (December 2019 and January 2020) grants of the beneficiaries to those who hold EMV-activated cash cards.

For beneficiaries without cash cards, the Department is now coordinating with LandBank of the Philippines and Local Government Units for the release of the formers’ regular grants and emergency subsidy.

Meanwhile, with the proliferation of fake news on the internet, the Department urges beneficiaries to on rely information coming from reliable sources only such as from established news authorities, governments’ website and social media accounts.

The seams and stitches have brought changes in the lives of SLP associations. Recounted through the years of successful livelihood of sewing, the dreams and hopes of program participants are intertwined through collective efforts and desire to sustain the change in their community. These opportunities were made possible through the funded skills training to provide seed capital funds for Microenterprise development of the SLPAs.

Little did they know that apart from learning the skills from these dressmaking businesses can not only provide income for their members and support their family but can also turn into blessings to others.

Challenged by the unforeseen enemies brought by the threat of COVID-19 in the country, many of the people in the communities were affected by these dilemmas. The stringent social distancing measures due to declaration of enhanced community quarantine has affected the majority of the population not only in COVID stricken areas in Luzon but also in Zamboanga City which has recorded five confirmed to date.  These directives have led to massive panic buying and unavailability of stocks most especially in disinfectants, alcohols and masks. 

However, the formidable situation didn’t hinder the members of the Sustainable Livelihood Program Associations in Zamboanga City to stop their operation but instead they find this opportunity as blessing in disguise to render their services and help those who are in dire need of masks for protection. The scarcity of face masks led the associations to initiate its production so they can help their community protect themselves. The associations of STARLIGHT and Sistrera Dela Victoria SLPAs were able to initially produce more than 1,000 washable face masks. The situation has shed light to members of these SLPAs to utilize their skills of sewing in their livelihood. These initiatives were made possible using the materials from their own miscut cloths.  Only a few of their produced face masks were sold for only Php10-Php20 while some were given for free among their neighbors, family members including those frontliners in their vicinity.

“Alegre kame cay ta puede kame ayuda na otro. Necesita man ayudahan kita, que rico man o pobre necesita man uyun kita para puede kita man fight con este cosa ta pasa ara y man share kita el blessing con aquelos bien necesita gayod ayuda. Ohala descansa ya este calamidad. Ohala hindi kita viola na cosa ta abla el govierno canaton, esta kita na casa para hindi este man calayat” Said Alejandra Dela Cruz, President of Sistrera Dela Victoria SLPA

(We are happy that we are able to help others, we need to help each other. Regardless of our social status, we need to go along with each other and face the challenges ahead of us. We also need to share what we have, to those who have little, or none at all. We hope this calamity will end soon and  hoping no one will violate what the government is requesting for us to do to in order to prevent the spread of the virus.)

“Man  junto junto kita ayuda maga hente que necesita ayuda. Hace kita este contribucion na de aton ciudad.”  Salvacion G. Mabologtong, President of Ayala Starlight SLPA added.

(Let’s help people together who are in need. Let this be our contribution to our city)

Indeed during difficult times, the Bayanihan spirit will always prevail among Filipinos. For more than a year, the bags, dresses and other woven materials they have produced have represented their hopes and aspirations that are woven through their seamless determination towards sustainable change.

More SLPAs have followed the initiative in giving out masks to the public and barangay officials in the community.

The Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) is a capability-buildingprogram of the DSWD for poor, vulnerable and marginalized households and communities to improve their socio-economic conditions through accessing and acquiring necessary assets to engage in and maintain thriving livelihoods.
###BernelySheilainedeLeon

Several members of the country’s conditional cash transfer program have line up today at various LandBank ATM branches and authorized servicing outlets for the withdrawal of their cash grants under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

The Department has coordinated with the Local Government Unit down to the barangay level to facilitate an organized withdrawal of cash grants adhering to the rules and policies on the prevention of COVID-19 transmission.

“It is deemed imperative for us as a social welfare agency to make withdrawal of cash grants available for the beneficiaries especially now that we are facing a crisis. This is a safety net measure for our beneficiaries following the mandated enhanced community quarantine,” DSWD-9 OIC-Regional Director Fatima S. Caminan said.

Prior to this, the DSWD has announced that Landbank of the Philippines (LBP) will credit the cash grants of the beneficiaries into to their individual EMV-activated cash cards starting March 24. However, this will only be for the beneficiaries under the Modified Conditional Cash Transfer (MCCT). The Department, together with the LBP, targets to credit the cash grants of the Regular Conditional Cash Transfer (RCCT) members by April.

 PREVENTIVE MEASURES VS MASS GATHERINGS

Ensuring the safety of the beneficiaries, field staff of the DSWD were deployed in various LBP branches, ATM stations, and Point of System (POS) to secure the observance of policies in the prevention of COVID-19 such as maintaining physical distance, wearing face mask and other protective gears, use of alcohol and sanitizers, proper hand-washing with soap, and changing of clothes upon arriving home.

In the municipality of Titay in Zamboanga Sibugay, as agreed during the meeting with the Municipal Administrator, Chief of Police, and LBP staff, all beneficiaries will be ferried to and from their residences using police mobile as all public transport are suspended.

Health workers and barangay officials are also on the lookout to avoid mass gatherings and crowd control. Attendance and participation of senior citizens, pregnant women, children, those with fever, cough, and/or colds are discouraged in the withdrawal of cash grants.

Beneficiaries of the MCCT have received educational and health grants for Period 6 (December 2019 and January 2020). In addition, they also received rice subsidy for 2 months.

CASH CARD WITHDRAWALS IN VARIOUS AREAS

Local Government Unit of Kalawit led by their CDD Champion Mayor Salvador Antojado expressed their appreciation on the program during the turn-over ceremonies of the Child Development Center and Two Barrel Box Culvert at Sitio Palalihan, Barangay Botong and Paraiso in Kalawit, Zamboanga del Norte last week.

The Child Development Center was completed last January 22, 2020 while the Two Barrel Box Culvert was on March 3, 2020 and is among the 10 out of 14 completed sub-projects for Kalahi-CIDSS MAKILAHOK.

The LCE was a former Barangay Sub-Project Management Committee (BSPMC) Chair turned Barangay Official, he was once a community volunteer of the program which was trained on planning, project management and other competencies in leading project implementation.

With this, he recognized the role of Kalahi-CIDSS in community development especially in their municipality given the engagement they had with the different modalities of the program since 2004. And by 2019, Kalawit is the only identified MAKILAHOK implementing municipality in the entire Zamboanga del Norte.

He also extended his appreciation to the Promotive Services Division Chief Ma. Socorro S. Macaso and Regional Project Coordinator Narrabelle Z. Bue from the Regional Program Management Office (RPMO) who attended the said activity together with the LGU staff, Barangay Officials and the community.

MAKILAHOK is a pilot capability building project which infuses CDD approach in the Barangay Development planning process. It is a continuing learning course for BLGUs to reinforce participatory governance anchored on community engagement in all phases of Barangay Development Planning, through the CDD Based training module, it also strengthens the legal provisions and existing policy directives on citizen participation, transparency, and accountability in local government’s planning process.###

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has recently declared suspension of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program activities amid crisis facing covid-19.

This is after DSWD Secretary Hon. Rolando Bautista, in accordance to the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force, issued the Advisory No. 1 stating that all activities needing mass gatherings shall be temporarily suspended until April 14.

According to the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Republic Act 11310, more popuparly known as the 4Ps Act, the Secretary of the Department may suspend program activities through a declaration of “force majeure.”

This is to ensure the health and safety of 4Ps beneficiaries particularly that of more vulnerable sectors such as the senior citizens, children, and those with prior sickness, and the DSWD staff as well.

The suspension includes all cash card distributions, compliance to program conditionalities such as children’s attendance to school and regular health checkups.

In addition, the conduct of monthly gathering of the beneficiaries during Family Development Sessions (FDS) shall likewise be temporarily suspended.

In consideration of the “force majeure” situation, beneficiaries will still be able to receive their cash grants for the month of February and March.

However, all program beneficiaries are encouraged to continue their usual chores such as maintaining their backyard gardens to ensure healthy food for the family, encourage their children to read and study at home while classes are suspended, keeping their home and environment clean, and only seek information from reliable sources.

4Ps is a human capital investment of the national government that aims to reduce poverty by providing assistance to poor households for education and health. As of to date, the program has 287,000 active beneficiaries in Region IX and 4 million household beneficiaries nationwide.

Barangay Payongan in Alicia, Zamboanga Sibugay will soon start the construction of the 300 linear meter sectional concreting sub-project under Cycle 2 of Kalahi-CIDSS PAMANA IP-CDD following the ground-breaking ceremony last January 30, 2020.

The sub-project is expected to be completed within 73 days with a total project cost of Php2,698,998.00.

According to the residents of the barangay, the Subanen has been longing to get the road repaired since this is the only way leading to their town.  The Local Government Unit present during the ceremony also commits to allocate 8.3 million to continue the concreting of road connecting to poblacion.

The construction of 300 ln. m. sectional concreting is among the 20 on-going sub-projects being implemented in the Municipality of Alicia under the said program.

DSWD, through Kalahi-CIDSS, supports the PAMANA framework by providing micro-level interventions that promote the convergent delivery of services and goods focused on households and communities utilizing the Community-Driven Development (CDD) strategy. ###

The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) under the implementation of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) warns program beneficiaries against alleged cash card pawning.

The program has received unofficial reports stating that some of its beneficiaries use their cash cards as collaterals for loans.

Regional Program Coordinator of the 4Ps in region 9, Flordeliza A. Atuy, said that the alleged pawning of cash cards is now being validated by the Grievance Redress System (GRS).

“We have a grievance system in place that works on validation and provides actions to complaints received from the field. From time to time, we also conduct spot-checks or surprise visits to our beneficiaries to see for ourselves how they comply with the program conditionalities and policies,” Atuy said.

According to the implementing rules and guidelines of the program, cash card pawning constitutes part of misdemeanor grievances and any beneficiary caught practicing such is subjected to sanctions as prescribed by the National Advisory Committee (NAC), an interagency body that provides policy directions and guidelines to the program management office on matters pertinent to project implementation.

As per NAC Resolution 20 Series of 2014, the following are the imposed sanctions for complaints on misuse of grants (pawning of cash cards):

1. First Offense: Counseling by the Municipal Link and a written warning from the head of the Provincial Operations Office.
2. Second Offense: Counseling by the Social Welfare Officer III and a written warning from the Regional Director; Household’s grants for two (2) months shall be suspended.
3. Third Offense: Delisting of the concerned household under GRS Fraud duly approved by the Regional Director and tagging to be facilitated by the Regional Grievance Officers. The household’s delisted status is non-appealable.

Other misdemeanor complaints may include, but not limited to: misuse of grants such as drug-abuse, alcoholism, and gambling, collection of fees, and false representation of beneficiaries in the program. Sanctions vary for each complaint.

Program implementers encourage beneficiaries to participate in reporting cases of misdemeanor to the grievance officers in the region by contacting their grievance hotline at 09271613818.