800 Ifugao families benefit from gov’t

LAGAWE, Ifugao — Some 800 families from the municipalities of Asipulo and Tinoc here are the first beneficiaries of the Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the national government in the province.

Of the total beneficiaries, 500 are residents of Asipulo and 300 are from Tinoc.

According to Wilfreda Tayaban, Ifugao is the last province in the Cordillera to be covered by the 4Ps whose beneficiaries are chosen based on a targeting system developed for the program.

Tayaban told beneficiaries 4Ps is the government’s way of helping extremely poor households by providing them with minimal amount intended to improve their health, nutrition and education particularly of their children.

But such is not an ordinary grant. The beneficiary must comply with the program’s requirements to continue receiving grants.

These conditions include pregnant women must avail of pre and post natal care and be attended by skilled/professional attendant during child birth; parents must attend family development sessions, mothers classes and family planning; children zero to five years old must receive regular preventive checkups and vaccines.

It also provides that children three to five years old must attend daycare classes, and children 6 to 14 years old must attend elementary and high school classes at least 85 percent of the time.

The 4Ps provide conditional grants to the beneficiaries such as P6,000 a year per month per household for health and nutrition expenses, and P3,000 for one school year or 10 months or 300/month per child for educational expenses. A maximum of three children per household is allowed.

Tayaban reminded the beneficiaries of the sanctions for non-compliance and the possibility of being terminated from the program.

She is optimistic that the 4Ps program would really make a big transformation in the people’s lives.

Beneficiaries said they were thankful for the government program.

Some mothers said the cash assistance they will receive will be for their children’s school fees, and the excess will be used to purchase school uniforms, bags, shoes and milk for their younger children.