“Noon, maraming problema katulad ng mga pagsusugal at pagsasangla ng ATM cards. Pero ito ang unang binigyang pansin ng BAT (Barangay Action Team),” shared Brgy Councilor Reynaldo Devenadera of Brgy VI-E in San Pablo City, Laguna.

Councilor Devenadera is a member of the Barangay Action Team (BAT), who works hand in hand with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), particularly the City Coordinating Team in San Pablo (Laguna Province), in monitoring the implementation of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

The creation of the BAT in San Pablo City is supported by a city ordinance approved in 2012. The team’s main function is monitoring the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilya program.

According to Benjamin Romero, City Link of San Pablo City, the creation of the BAT in all barangays of the city has made the monitoring of beneficiaries easier. As a result, the DSWD has established a helping hand in the ground in ensuring that the program is implemented properly and the beneficiaries are complying religiously with their co-responsibilities with the program.

Keeping an eye on the beneficiaries

According to the city ordinance, the Barangay Action Team will be composed of the barangay chairperson as president and the Chairman on Committee on Welfare, Family, Children, Senior Citizen and Differently-abled Persons as vice president. The members will include the school principal, barangay health worker, barangay nutrition scholar, day care worker, representatives from civil society organizations and parent leaders of the Pantawid Pamilya Program.

The BAT, since they are closer to the beneficiaries of the program, interacts directly to the beneficiaries of the program. Hence, monitoring is easier.

“Ang monitoring ng Pantawid beneficiaries ay nasa responsibilidad ng City Action Team (composed of the City Mayor and other members of the local government unit) noon. Masyadong malaki ang sakop nila kaya hindi masyadong nabibigyang diin ang pagmomonitor ng bawat benepisyaryo. Kaya napagdesisyunan na ipasa ang partikular na responsibilidad na ito sa barangay level para mas matutukan ang lahat ng benepisyaryo,” shared Romero.

Brgy Chairman Rodelson Himor, president of the BAT in Brgy II-A, shared that the establishment of the BAT has made the monitoring of the beneficiaries more intense and organized.

They are strict particularly in ensuring that the cash grants received by beneficiaries are used for the right purposes such as supporting the needs on health and education of the child-beneficiaries. It also leads beneficiaries away from common misuse of grants such as vices (gambling, drinking and smoking) and luxuries.

Reynaldo Pandanan, BAT vice chairperson of Brgy San Rafael, shared that with the close monitoring of beneficiaries, the beneficiaries felt more obliged to be serious with their co-responsibilities with the program particularly on sending their children to school, attending monthly Family Development Sessions and submitting to monthly preventive health checkups.

“Nakita ko na mas naging disiplinado ang mga magulang na sundin ang kanilang mga responsibilidad sa programa,” said Evelyn Nazareth, a Pantawid beneficiary from Brgy VI-E and also a secretary of BAT.

Beyond program monitoring

The BAT also issues a warning to first-time offenders such as those they have caught gambling, not complying with the conditions of the program and pawning their cash cards. Second-time offenders are referred to the City Coordinating Team.

Further, the BAT also acts as grievance redress committee in the barangay level. Through orientations, members of the BAT are trained on responding to queries and concerns of beneficiaries regarding the program. If the cases are not resolved in their level, they are forwarded to the city-level. As such, grievance resolution became faster.

Currently, all barangays in the city has a functional BAT, which ensures the proper implementation of the program in their respective localities.

“Kapag nagtulungan ang smallest local unit katulad ng barangay, local government unit at national government ay mas mapapadali ang implementasyon ng programa dahil nagiging mas organisado ang bawat proseso at nagiging mas malapit sa mga tao,” said Romero who is thankful for the helping hand that the BAT provides his team in the city-level.with reports from MMMatanguihan UPLB