The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has registered a total of 793 families belonging to the Dumagat and Aeta groups in geographically isolated areas in Rizal and Quezon respectively under the modified conditional cash transfer for Indigenous People (MCCT for IPs) of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

The said IP families are those with children zero to 18 years old and are considered vulnerable and disadvantaged based on the assessment conducted by the DSWD.

The MCCT for IPs targets tribal communities in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas—communities with marginalized population and separated to the mainstream society whether physically or socio-economically. This allows the IP families to benefit from the government’s social protection programs, especially in helping improve their access to basic social services (health, nutrition and sanitation) and to formal or non-formal education.

The said registered Dumagat and Aeta families were registered to the MCCT for IPs in the last quarter of 2014. In Rizal, the Dumagats are from Antipolo City, Rodriquez and Tanay. The Aetas, on the other hand, are from the towns of Buenavista, Catanauan, General Nakar, Lopez, Mauban and Real in Quezon. There are also registered families affiliated to the Mangyan, Igorot and Remuntado tribes.

Similar to the regular Pantawid Pamilya program, family-beneficiaries will receive Php500 a month for health, and Php300 per child per month for children in elementary and Php500 per child per month for children in high school for a maximum of three children per household. The said grants are also subject to the household’s compliance to the set conditions of the program such as 85% school attendance of children in formal or non-formal education, immunization of children and pregnant women, deworming, pre and post natal care of pregnant women and attendance to the community and family development sessions twice a month.

The families will also be provided various support services including capacity building, livelihood activities and promotion of IP rights among others.

The 793 family-beneficiaries under the MCCT for IPs is different from the 2,188 IP households registered under the regular Pantawid Pamilya program in the CALABARZON Region.***