More than 4,000 beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program in Sariaya, Quezon rallied for the institutionalization of the program last March 13, 2016 in Sariaya Sports Complex in the said town.

Together with partners including the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and local officials, the beneficiaries conducted a unity walk themed “Tuloy ang Pagbabago.”

The activity was an initiative of the parent leaders of the said town in support for the call of all beneficiaries to continue the implementation of the program even after the change of administration this year.

Felisa Pulayan, a beneficiary from Brgy. Montecillo, shared that the help of the Pantawid Pamilya program to beneficiaries like them is more than the cash grants they are receiving for the health and education of their children.

“Malaking tulong ang programa sa aming mga pamilya dahil itinuturo sa amin ng FDS (Family Development Sessions) ang maayos na pagpapamilya lalong lalo na ang pagpapatatag nito. ‘Yung cash grants ay bonus na lang sa amin na talagang kaagapay namin sa edukasyon at pangkalusugan ng mga bata kaya nais naming maipagpatuloy talaga ang programa,” Pulayan shared.

The FDS is a unique component of the program that teaches parent-grantees on various topics including strengthening family relationships, children’s rights, disaster preparedness and budget management among others. Attendance to these sessions is one of the co-responsibilities of the beneficiaries to the program along with 85 percent monthly school attendance and monthly preventive health checkups of children.

Pulayan added that the Pantawid Pamilya program also opened a lot of opportunities for them.

“Nakilala namin ang iba’t ibang ahensya ng gobyerno na maaaring makatulong sa mga katulad namin sa aming mga pangangailangan,” she shared.

Besides the unity walk, all attendees showed their support to the call for the program’s institutionalization through a ceremonial signature campaign.

The Pantawid Pamilya is a flagship program of the national government that invests on human capital through the provision of conditional cash grants to poor families in support for the needs on health, nutrition and education of children age zero to 18. Its signing into law will ensure the beneficiaries that even with the change of administration, the program will continuously help the current child-beneficiaries until they finish high school and help more children from poor families in the country.# with reports from SFBarral