Tarabitab- All About Ilocos, Pangasinan and Baguio City Philippines

4 Ilocos towns get poverty reduction grants

August 24th, 2010 | Author: Cristina Arzadon

Laoag City,Ilocos Norte — Poor families in four Ilocos Norte towns including Batac City were awarded poverty reduction grants under the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

The other towns that were given grants include Marcos, Nueva Era and Pinili. The DSWD identified 1,819 families in the areas as entitled to grants ranging from a monthly allowance of P500 or P6,000 yearly for health and nutrition support and P3,000 per school year (or P300 monthly for 10 months) for each child for education.

Beneficiaries will be receiving the monthly support within five years. They were selected based on the following: their poverty level as determined by the 2003 small area estimates by the National Statistical Coordination Board; the family’s living capacity should be at par or below the province’s poverty threshold and the presence of family members with ages ranging from 0 to 14 years.

The program is the government’s answer to poverty incidents in the country. It is meant to cut down the poverty level by providing cash grants that would respond to basic needs such as health, nutrition and education.

The government allotted P10 billion a year to support the program and funding could be raised to respond to more poor families.

Ilocos Norte is one of 30 towns in the Ilocos Region that was benefited from the program. The region’s beneficiaries comprise of 23,998 families. The DSWD targets a million families to be given cash grants comprising of 672 towns including 61 cities in 80 provinces in the country for 2010.

The program consists of a two-pronged approach in reducing poverty which includes social assistance and social development. The first involves providing financial support to answer immediate needs while the other is meant to put a stop to continuing poverty through human investments.

The 4Ps is part of the government’s Millenium Development Goals. (PIA-Ilocos Norte)