Municipality of Carles, Iloilo

Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipinas Program 4Ps of DSWD in cooperation with the Local Government Unit of Carles through the effort of Municipal Mayor Arnold Betita and other municipal officials has conducted the releasing of cash grant to all the 4Ps beneficiaries of Carles at the Municipal Gym last August 10, 2010.

Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) - is a poverty reduction and social development strategy of the national government that provides conditional cash grants to extremely poor households to improve their health, nutrition and education particularly of children aged 0-14.

4Ps has dual objectives:

• Social Assistance - to provide cash assistance to the poor to alleviate their immediate need (short term poverty alleviation); and
• Social Development - to break the intergenerational poverty cycle through investments in human capital.

4Ps helps to fulfill the country’s commitment to meet the Millennium Development Goals, namely:

1. Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
2. Achieve Universal Primary Education
3. Promote Gender Equality
4. Reduce Child Mortality
5. Improve Maternal Health

Targeting System

The poorest households in the municipalities are selected through a Proxy-Means Test. This test determines the socio-economic category of the families by looking at certain proxy variables such as ownership of assets, type of housing, education of the household head, livelihood of the family and access to water and sanitation facilities.

Eligible Households

1. Residents of the poorest municipalities based on 2003 Small Area Estimates (SAE) of NSCB;
2. Households whose economic condition is equal to or below the provincial poverty threshold.
3. Households that have children 0-14 years old and/or have a pregnant woman at the time of assessment;
4. Households that agree to meet conditions specified in the program.

To avail of the cash grants beneficiaries should comply with the following conditions:

1. Pregnant women must avail pre- and post-natal care and be attended during childbirth by a trained health professional;
2. Parents must attend responsible parenthood sessions, mother’s classes and parent effectiveness seminars;
3. 0-5 year old children must receive regular preventive health check-ups and vaccines;
4. 3-5 year old children must attend day care or pre-school classes at least 85% of the time.
5. 6-14 year old children must enroll in elementary or high school and must attend at least 85% of the time.
6. 6-14 years old children must receive deworming pills twice a year.

Program Coverage

4Ps operates in 80 provinces covering 672 municipalities and 61 key cities.

The 4Ps targets to cover 1 million households in 2010.