Ifugao has 9,228 4Ps beneficiaries

By Daniel B. Codamon

Thursday 2nd of August 2012

LAGAWE, Ifugao, Aug 2 (PIA) -- The province has a total of 9,228 family beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) as of June 20 this year.

This was contained in the report from the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO).

The report says beneficiaries started receiving the financial assistance in 2011 through its five-year conditional cash transfer (CCT) program, the flagship poverty-reduction strategy of the government.

Under strict conditions, each beneficiary-family receive cash grants on the condition that they follow certain nutrition, health, and education stipulations.

By providing such financial assistance, the 4Ps aims to stop poverty that had visited generations of Filipinos. The program currently covers all the municipalities of Ifugao.

In 2011, the beneficiaries received P31,824,500 and for the first half of this year 2012, they had received P7,724,000 fora total of P39,548,500.

Of the municipalities of Ifugao, Asipulo which has 966 family-beneficiaries received the highest amount of P12,887,000 covering the period 2011 until June of 2012; Tinoc with P7,348,200 for 818 beneficiaries; Alfonso Lista, P3,476,000 and 1,479 beneficiaries; Aguinaldo, P3,408,500 and 1,381 beneficiaries; Hungduan, P2,430,200 and 333 beneficiaries; Banaue, P2,252,300 and 887 beneficiaries; Kiangan, P2,112,200 and 728 beneficiaries; Lamut, P2,064,800 with 1,083 beneficiaries; Mayoyao, P1,615,100 and 595 beneficiaries; Lagawe, P1,164,600 and 565 beneficiaries, and Hingyon with P789,600 and 393 beneficiaries.

The Pantawid Pamilya National Program Management Office in early 2011 instituted changes in the payment schedule of CCT from a quarterly to a bi-monthly period as a result of the observations that the three-month interval between payments was too long and that the beneficiaries found it difficult to stretch the household income up to the next payment of the grant.(JDP/DBC-PIA CAR, Ifugao)