(Feature) Biliran’s 4Ps recipient shares success story

CABUCGAYAN, Biliran, Oct. 27 (PNA) -- Mariflor Maala, 41, of this town’s Esperanza village, couldn’t imagine life without the government’s conditional cash transfer program.

For her, the monthly cash grant of PHP1,600 from Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) enabled them to send their four children to school.

“Life is better now with 4Ps. My husband and I don’t have to worry about school expenses anymore. With government assistance, we are more capable of sustaining our daily basic needs,” said Mariflor, a mother of four.

Her husband, Arnold, 44, is a farmer and a part-time carpenter, who only earns an average of PHP3,000 monthly.

In the past five years, the Maala family has been receiving cash grants from national government’s conditional cash transfer program.

Three of their children qualified the education component of the program - one in grade school and two in secondary.

“Whenever the school year starts, I could buy all their school needs. They could go to school with complete school uniform, a pair of school shoes, not just wearing flip flops and old clothes. 

Whenever they had projects or assignments, I could financially support them unlike before,” Mariflor added.

Mariflor recalled how hard life was before availing the cash grant. “Our life back then was so tough.

When my husband got sick, my income from doing laundry was not enough to buy food and send our four children to school.”

“Some 4Ps recipients said that the program has not dramatically improved their lives, but for us, it’s a big help. However, we still have to work and not just depend on assistance,” Mariflor told PNA.

Cabucgayan, a 5th class town in Biliran, has 970 4Ps beneficiaries, the third town with highest number recipients in the island province.

The program was piloted in the town’s three villages - Looc, Bunga and Balaquid - six years ago. The program expanded after a year to the town’s other 10 villages.

Maricar Riza Gaviola, the town’s senior 4Ps staff revealed that in their social welfare development monitoring, 77 of the household grantees are now self-reliant, 777 are subsistent, and least 34 households are still at survival stage.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development, through its community-based and financing program, also provided employment and livelihood assistance to beneficiaries.

“We aim to help them graduate from inter-generational poverty through livelihood programs and development assistance,” Gaviola explained.

In every two months, the 4P’s technical staff conduct compliance verification on the grantees and monitor them through checking their presence in school and scheduled home visitation. (PNA) JMC/SQM/Danica-Ann M. Ultado (OJT)
/EGR