Ten years old Ma. Franzlyn Manalo, of Brgy Makina, Balete, Batangas Province is one of the 600,000 children-beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program in CALABARZON.  She does not mind the distance she walks everyday from their house to her school and back, because what is important for her is not miss a class and get good grades to make her reach her dreams and help her family live a better life.

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For the school year 2013-14, the national government had provided educational subsidies to school age-children from 306,161 households in CALABARZON Region under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

The said children, who are estimated to be at least 600,000 children, are age three to 14 and had completed 1 year of schooling either in day care / pre-schools, elementary schools, or high school through the assistance of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

Under the program, poor families / households-beneficiaries of the program are provided cash subsidies for the health and educational needs of children age zero to 14. For the education, family-beneficiaries are provided Php300 financial assistance per month per child (maximum of three children per family). This is in exchange for the child’s at least 85% monthly attendance in school.

The said cash subsidies are expected to spent by the family-beneficiary for the school needs of the children such as transportation fare, uniforms, school supplies, school projects and even daily allowance.

Ma. Franzlyn Manalo, 10, a child-beneficiary of the program from Brgy. Makina, Balete in Batangas Province, said that she understands her responsibilities as a beneficiary of the program.

“Dahil po sa programa, nakakapag-aral po ako. Ngayon ay nababayaran na ang mga bayarin sa school, nakakabili na ng mga projects at nakakasali na ako sa mga activities. Ngayon, matataas na ang grades ko. Hindi rin ako umaabsent para hindi kami matanggal sa Pantawid,” she shared.

A day care worker from Brgy. Rizal in Lopez, Quezon Province, Ms. Rosanna Moong who is also a beneficiary of the program, noted that there was an increase in enrollment of children since the coming of the Pantawid Pamilya program.

“Noon, maraming bata ang hindi pumapasok sa paaralan kasi walang pampaaral o kapos ang mga magulang sa pera. Ngayon, mas marami na ang pumapasok dahil may suporta nang natatanggap ang mga magulang,” she said.

Moong added that with the financial support from the program, families began having savings from their daily income, which they use for their other expenses or start a small business for added income.***