1,500 Naga Families to Benefit from 4Ps

NAGA CITY, Aug. 26 --- At least 1,500 families from the city's five barangays have met the standard set by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to qualify in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

The program is a developmental approach designed to promote investment in human capital among poor families with 0 to 14 years old children.

City Social Welfare and Development Officer Jaime Reblando said the 4Ps program is aimed at providing solutions to social problems to realize the following Millennium Development Goals (MDG) like reducing extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health and promoting gender equality and empowering women.

The families that qualified into the program who will receive a maximum of P1,500 every month as financial assistance are residents of Barangays Pacol, Balatas, Concepcion Pequeña, Mabolo and Sabang.

The beneficiary-families were categorized as extremely poor and the amount of money to be given to them under the program has corresponding conditions that should be met.

The conditions are: Children from 0 to 5 years old must get regular preventive health checkups and vaccines, children from 3 to 5 years old must attend day care/preschool, children from 6 to 14 years old must attend elementary or high school at least 85% of the time, pregnant women must avail pre and post natal care at the Rural Health Center starting the 1st trimester of pregnancy, parents must attend Parent Effectiveness Sessions, family planning etc., and children aged 6 to 14 years old must subject to de-worming.

4Ps is a poverty reduction strategy that provides cash assistance to extremely poor households to allow their members to meet certain human development goals.

It also focuses on the building of human capital (health/nutrition and education) in children ages 0-14 who suffer from low educational levels, poor health and malnutrition. (PNA)