The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) recorded a 28 percent growth in active households in Mimaropa under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) from 2023 to May 2024, indicating an increased number of slots to assist poor families.
DSWD Mimaropa Regional Director Leonardo Reynoso said that from 169,770 households in 2023, the household coverage grew to 216,980 beneficiaries. It was a result of the large number of graduates from the program since 2022.
Reynoso said about 13,807 households graduated from the program in 2022 and an additional 2,464 for 2024.
“Pero hindi nangangahulugan na dumami ang mahihirap sa Mimaropa. Ang kahulugan nito ay mas marami na nag-aantay na mahihirap na maisama na natin sa programa. Kaya natin naisama kasi noong mga nakaraang taon may mga nag-graduate na sa Pantawid,” he said during Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas on Tuesday, June 11, held in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro
Of the total household beneficiaries, DSWD supports over 300,000 students at different levels. About 9,607 are enrolled in child development centers, 164,999 in elementary, and 210,000 in junior and senior high school levels.
For 2024, DSWD expects 29,992 students to graduate from elementary school and over 33,000 from senior high school. The data is still yet to be verified with the Department of Education (DepEd), Reynoso added.
In the aim to ensure the good health of children in society, DSWD also extends coverage of programs to pregnant women through immunization and checkups.
The DSWD will rely on the Community-Based Management System (CBMS) of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to identify poor families instead of relying on its Listahanan 3, which gathered data in 2019.
“Kung mas marami ang mamamayan, posibleng mas marami ang mahihirap. Kaya ang lugar na kakaunti ang mamamayan, hindi nangangahulugan na hindi sila mahirap,” he said.
Reynoso said that DSWD also strengthens the provision of livelihood assistance to elevate the quality of lives of locals in the region. It finances sustainable livelihood projects for microenterprises and livelihood proposals from indigenous communities. (RG/PIA Mimaropa-Palawan)
