The Department of Social Welfare and Development in the National Capital Region (DSWD-NCR), in coordination with the City of Navotas held a convergence caravan on Thursday to bring the social services closer to the beneficiaries of government’s pro-poor programs.
More than 600 beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program in the city participated in the service caravan and availed the various services such as medical mission, jobs fair, free haircut and massage, distribution of Philippine Health Insurance Corp. cards, free seminar on how to start a business and a hands-on workshop on how to make chicken nuggets and squid rings.
DSWD also awarded a capital assistance of P 156,000 to Industrious SEA-K and Coolest SEA-K associations. Each association is composed of 15 Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries.
DSWD-NCR Regional Director, Ma. Alicia S. Bonoan reported to the city officials, headed by Navotas City Mayor John Reynald Tiangco and Congressman Tobias Reynald Tiangco the status of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program implementation in the city.
At present, she said, there are about 4, 474 families from the eight barangays in Navotas City are benefiting from the government’s Pantawid Pamilya Program. She added that come 2013, another 7,000 families will be added in the registered number of beneficiaries in the city.
Cong. Tiangco in his message said, that Pantawid Pamilya is one program of the government that he truly admires because it helps the indigent families support the needs of their children’s health and education.
Mayor Tiangco also expressed his gratitude to DSWD for always supporting his poor constituents and advised the Pantawid beneficiaries to take advantage of the program and apply the knowledge learned from it.
Pantawid Pamilya is a rights-based program that invests in the health and education of poor households, particularly of children aged 0‐14 years old, by providing cash grants to beneficiaries, provided that they comply with the set of conditions required by the program.
DSWD for its part is implementing a convergence strategy that will ensure complementation and coordination of efforts and interventions to help these beneficiaries move out from poverty. This is also in line with the thrust of the Department that nobody will be left behind. ###