Pantawid beneficiaries joins Brigada Eskwela 2012

Friday 8th of June 2012

CALAMBA CITY, Laguna, June 8 (PIA) -- At least 40,000 beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in different localities in Calabarzon joined the Brigada Eskwela 2012 program of the Department of Education (DepEd).

Parent beneficiaries, mostly in the province of Batangas as well as in Calamba City assisted in the week-long event with the theme “Maayos at Katangi-tanging Paaralan, Pundasyon sa Matatag na Pamayanan,” cleaning the school grounds in their locality.

Brigada Eskwela is DepEd's yearly maintenance program engaging people to contribute time, resources, and effort to prepare schools for the opening of classes. This year, Brigada Eskwela's main focus is the improvement of toilets and sanitation facilities in schools to increase hygiene and sanitation awareness among children.

Pantawid teaches all beneficiaries to develop commitment in sending children to school since this is the foundation towards a better life in the future. The participation of Pantawid grantees in the Brigada Eskwela showed how the household grantees are living with the Pantawid principles on education and helping achieve the Brigada Eskwela 2012’s theme.

According to Joy Calderon, Municipal link of Calatagan, Batangas, grantees formed part in activities such as cleaning school surroundings and classrooms, weeding and painting of desks and walls.

She added that the beneficiaries were easy to mobilize since they were interested in helping the teachers and the school. She even recounted that the beneficiaries saw Brigada Eskwela as their simple way of helping their children’s teachers. After all, the good condition of the school at the beginning of the school year is for their children, too.

Pantawid is a program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that provides conditional cash grants to poor families with children 0-14 years old to support their education and health needs. (JCA/Noemee Jane Mayor, RIO-DSWD4A/CPG, PIA4A)