4Ps beneficiaries in expansion area receive first cash grant

By Juliet Saley

BONTOC, Mountain Province-- The government’s Conditional Cash Transfer program - PantawidPamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps is now distributing the first release of cash grant to its 194 poor family-beneficiaries in the municipality of Barlig covering July and August this year.

According to Municipal Link Winnie Joy Lad-ey, there were 223 originally listed families under the program but 29 were considered as inclusion errors.

They were not qualified as beneficiaries since they were either teachers or municipal government employees in the municipality.

Barlig was an expansion of the 4Ps program. All in all, there are already five municipalities in the province covered by the CCT program.

Meanwhile, 4Ps families in the municipality of Besao also receiving their cash grant covering the months of July and August.

Besao Municipal Link Elena Poclan said 170 families of the 185 beneficiaries received their cash grant since the other 15 families have not complied with the given requirements.

In the municipality of Natonin, as of July to October this year, there were 597 family beneficiaries who received their cash grant covering same period.

There were 21 families who graduated from the program.

Municipal link of Natonin Miriam Aronney said of the 597, there were 20 families who had no cash card
yet so they received their cash grant over the counter.

This was the same with other beneficiaries who were given cash cards but they cannot yet use the cash cards.

In the municipality of Sadanga, there are 203 family beneficiaries as of September 2011 who have also received their cash grant covering the same months.

Sadanga Municipal Link William Farongey said originally, there are 230 identified families in the municipality but 14 are considered inclusion errors since they are either teachers or municipal government employees, and there are already 13 family beneficiaries who have graduated from the program since they do not have already children aging 14 years and below.

The 4Ps families in the municipality of Paracelis claimed their cash grant at the Land Bank of the Philippines -Tabuk Branch in Kalinga since it was nearer than Bontoc.

The government’s CCT programs provides up to a maximum of P1,400 per family beneficiary per month and this includes P500 for the health/nutritional need of the family and a P300 educational assistance for every (14 years old and below) school children of the family for a maximum of three children.