DSWD’s primary poverty alleviation program, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program   was internationally acclaimed by the My World Outreach Award for Asia Pacific and Oceana for having realized its goals with the served poor households in the Philippines.

 With this, DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano Soliman  affirmed that the recognition was a testament of the CCT (Pantawid Pamilya) Program’s being able  to listen to the poor families  to assess their real needs.  As quoted by Philippine Star, Secretary Soliman  believes that the Philippines has empowered and involved citizenry, they, being assisted in the CCT will realize the inclusive growth and development, where no one is left behind in the concerted effort of moving forward.

 In Region 1, the Pantawid Pamilyang  Pilipino Program continues to mark significant effects not only on access to education and  better health among 0-14 years old children but also in developing community leaders,  better parents amongst the beneficiaries.

 According to Mayor Carlitos Reyes of Mabini, Pangasinan, the Pantawid Pamilya has relatively decreased the number of the families requesting for financial assistance.

 To date, with 247,882 identified poor based on DSWD’s database of poor households,  75% of them or 187,336 households  are already assisted by the  Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program through cash grants used for education and health needs of 0-14  years old children.

 In the provinces of Region 1, these are the magnitude of poor households assisted by the Pantawid Pamilya Program: 113,528  in Pangasinan; 30,327 in La Union; 18,531 in Ilocos Norte; and 24,240 in Ilocos Sur.

 The Program has also enrolled 655 children in the Modified Conditional Cash Transfer Program and 1,032 children under the Extended Age Coverage Program. For those pursuing identified courses, there are 159  poor students in  the  Students Grants  In  Aid  Program  For  Poverty Alleviation (SGP-PA) in partnership with  Don  Mariano  Marcos  Memorial  State University in La Union and Mariano Marcos State University in Batac City.

 Facilitation of employment opportunities and provision of capital assistance  through the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP)was facilitated to Sets 1 and 2 areas. With this, a total of 7,652 households were given capital assistance with a total of Php 33,082,000.00. Meanwhile, 284 Pantawid beneficiaries accessed the ‘Trabahong Lansangan’ that assisted them to work for 6 months at a minimum wage on road-works construction.   ### (by: Iryn D. Cubangbang, Regl. Information Officer)