Matanog residents receive 4Ps conditional cash grant

13 November 2009

Matanaog, Maguindanao – The Autonomous Regional Government under the initiative of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-ARMM) has been continuously improving the interest and wellbeing of the marginalized and underprivileged constituents of the region through various economic and health programs, one of which is the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps

On Thursday, November 12, 2009, DSWD-ARMM spearheaded by its secretary Bai Soraida Biruar has distributed “Conditional Cash Grant” to identified beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program from the different barangays of Matanog town in the province of Maguindanao, along with Matanog Mayor Nasser Imam at the Matanog Municipal Gymnasium.

Sec. Biruar said that the program is a poverty reduction strategy that provides small grants to identified extremely poor families with the condition that the money will be spent for health and education of their children particularly from zero-fourteen (0-14) years of age.

Every household will receive monthly cash grants of P1,400 for five years for health services and education of maximum of three (3) children. Each child will have P300 intended for his/her education with the total amount of P900 for the 3 children while the P500 will be used for the family’s basic health service, stressed Biruar.

Mayor Imam was very grateful that Matanog has been included as one of the chosen towns in the region to benefit the 4Ps program.

“We are so thankful to the leadership of the Autonomous Regional Government under the administration of able Governor Datu Zaldy Ampatuan for the enduring support and assistance to our constituents here in Matanog”, added Imam.

He said that the whole town of Matanog has been extremely damaged and most affected during the 2000 all-out war between the government forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) where thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) stayed in the evacuation centers for more than one year.

Matanog has Three Thousand Eight Hundred Sixty Nine (3,869) beneficiaries, the highest number of qualified beneficiaries among the ten (10) identified target municipalities in the province of Maguindanao.

ARMM Governor Datu Zaldy Ampatuan in his 5th State of the Region Address (SORA) recently emphasized that the regional government has concentrated the efforts to respond to major development challenges and issues confronting its people and their communities and pursued high impact socio-economic development programs.

The 4Ps is a five year program of the national government which was conceived and started in 2008 in response to the global economic meltdown.

It also intends to alleviate poverty incidence that provides cash grants to extremely poor families not only in the ARMM but also in the entire country.

The national government has identified ten (10) municipalities for the Maguindanao province as target beneficiaries of the 4Ps program, sixteen (16) for Lanao del Sur; seventeen (17) for Sulu; three (3) for Tawi-Tawi and three (3) for Basilan. (bpi-armm)