A fisherman and a volunteer teacher with five children from Navotas City were chosen by the Regional Inter-Agency Committee on the Filipino Family (RIAC-FF) as this year’s ‘Huwarang Pantawid Pamilya’ in the National Capital Region.

The Villanueva family from Sitio Pulo, Brgy. Tanza, Navotas City bested 11 other family nominees from different local government units in the Search for Huwarang Pantawid Pamilya conducted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, National Capital Region  (DSWD-NCR).

DSWD-NCR Regional Director, Ma. Alicia S. Bonoan said that the family of Manuelito and Lucita Villanueva was declared “Huwarang Pantawid Pamilya” because of their commendable performance as parents and as responsible beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. As winner, they will become advocates of the program who will speak in various fora that will be organized by DSWD.

Bonoan added that the members of the validating team noted the active involvement of the family in various community affairs.  They also initiated community projects and advocacies that are beneficial to the constituents of Sitio Pulo, in Tanza, Navotas.
Manuelito, who is fondly called Bong, is a fisherman who earns P300.00 during good fishing days while his wife Lucita is a volunteer day care teacher of Tulay ng Kabataan Foundation, a non-government organization that provides education service in the community.

Lucita is also an active parent leader who ensures that Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries are religiously complying with the conditions of the program.

One of the family’s remarkable accomplishments is the establishment of a community library and tapped non-government organizations, government offices and schools to donate books for the library. Through this, the students are provided with a better place for learning.  Its establishment also promotes reading habits among the children.

The Villanueva family was registered as Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries in 2008 and is among the 65,628 families in NCR who are benefiting from the government’s conditional cash transfer program.

They have five children who are enrolled in Navotas National High School and Tanza Elementary School respectively.  The family receives 1,400 monthly cash grants for the education and health of the three children who are enrolled in the program.

The judges who are composed of representatives from various government agencies in NCR were guided by the following criteria in the selection of winner: compliance to the conditions of the program 30 points; management and utilization of cash grants 25 points; involvement in socio-economic activities and community affairs 15 points; responsible parenting and good moral values of the family 10 points; no occurrence of violence in the family 10 points; and care for the environment 10 points.

The winning family will be awarded with a cash prize of P15,000 and a plaque of recognition during the culmination of  the Family Week Celebration to be held at Mall of Asia, Pasay City on September 28, 2012.

The Search for Huwarang Pamilya aims to showcase the impact of the program and to recognize the contributions of beneficiaries in meeting the country’s Millennium Development Goals.