The Department of Social Welfare and Development in the National Capital Region (DSWD-NCR), in its efforts to bring the government services closer to the poor households, conducted on September 25, a convergence caravan in partnership with the city government of Pasig and other government agencies.
Some 1,300 beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program from Pasig City gathered at Pasig City Sports Complex, availed of the various government services and engaged the DSWD-NCR and Pasig City officials in a dialogue. The objective is to enlist support for the continuous implementation of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program to ensure their children’s brighter future.
DSWD-NCR Regional Director Ma. Alicia S. Bonoan described the convergence caravan as a demonstration of private-public partnership since services and resources of both the public and private sectors were mobilized to provide opportunities for livelihood projects and possible employment. Both schemes sought to sustain the interventions to Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries to reach the level of self-sufficiency.
Pasig City Mayor Maria Belen Euesebio assured the beneficiaries of continuous interventions, particularly those who will exit from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program by the end of December 2013 so that the parents will continue to send their children to school.
“Makakaasa kayo na ipagpapatuloy ng lungsod ng Pasig ang pagpapatupad ng programa at benepisyo katulad ng Pantawid Pamilya para makapagpatuloy at makapagtapos sa pag-aaral ang inyong mga anak at umunlad ang inyong mga pamilya,” said Mayor Eusebio.
Director Honorita Bayudan of the DSWD’s Poverty Reduction Programs Bureau, who delivered the message of DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman, emphasized the importance of putting together the services of national government agencies, local government units and the private sector, and bring them closer to the “boss” or to the people themselves.
During this caravan, DSWD-NCR, TESDA, PhilHealth and the city government of Pasig awarded capital assistance, Certificate of Completion to TESDA scholars, Health cards and toilet bowls to beneficiaries of the program.
Further, to ensure that the voices of the beneficiaries and partner-agencies in the implementation of Pantawid Pamilya are heard, a dialogue was conducted as venue for sharing of experiences, good practices and discussion of issues that need responses from DSWD and city officials.
The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program is a rights-based program that invests in human capital by giving assistance to poor households so they can continue sending their children to school, and provide them proper health care and nutrition. The program believes that by promoting the rights of children to have education and good health, poor families have fair chances of rising out of extreme poverty. ###