![Lizl Ocuaman and her children -beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilya at Catuday, Bolinao, Pangasinan](https://fo1.dswd.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/beni-199x300.jpg)
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)