Posted on by Digital Media Service

Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries who live in a remote indigenous community in Sitio Lucban, Barangay Panaytayan in Mansalay town in Oriental Mindoro attend a Family Development Session (FDS) conducted by 4Ps personnel of DSWD Field Office Mimaropa on February 5.
Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries who live in a remote indigenous community in Sitio Lucban, Barangay Panaytayan in Mansalay town in Oriental Mindoro attend a Family Development Session (FDS) conducted by 4Ps personnel of DSWD Field Office Mimaropa on February 5.

Personnel of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) surmounted geographical challenges as they reached a remote barangay in the municipality of Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro to conduct learning sessions for the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

DSWD Asst. Secretary for Strategic Communications Romel Lopez said the DSWD team, composed of the 4Ps staff and municipal links, traversed three rivers and numerous mountains on February 5 to conduct a Community Family Development Session (CFDS) in Sitio Lucban in Barangay Panaytayan.
“By reaching the remote areas, we are also extending the services under the program to the indigenous beneficiaries living in the area,” Asst. Sec. Lopez, who is also DSWD spokesperson, pointed out.
Asst. Sec. Lopez  said the CFDS is an essential 4Ps activity aimed at providing beneficiaries with knowledge about the program and other topics that contribute to the development of their families.
“It is also part of the conditions that the 4Ps beneficiaries should comply with to be eligible for the cash grants,” the DSWD spokesperson said.
During the sessions, the 4Ps team taught indigenous youth about proper hygiene practices and its importance and provided them with practical demonstrations on proper bathing and nail grooming, among others.
The DSWD team continues to conduct CFDS in every barangay in the town of Mansalay, despite the challenges of reaching remote areas, Asst. Sec. Lopez emphasized.
“The commitment of 4Ps staff remains unwavering as they strive to provide continuous services to poor families living in isolated areas,”  the DSWD spokesperson said.
Asst. Sec. Lopez reiterated that family development sessions are given to 4Ps beneficiaries, as part of the agency’s commitment to empower marginalized communities through education and practical support.
The DSWD team is composed of Project Development Officer Casimira Bosio and Municipal Links personnel Catherine Fos, Florence Fos, and Aira Mae Gatoc.
Attendance to FDS is among the conditions required by the DSWD from 4Ps beneficiaries so they can continue receiving their cash grants.  Specific behavioral conditions linked
to improved education, health, and nutrition outcomes of poor households should always be complied by program beneficiaries.
The 4Ps is the national poverty reduction strategy and a human capital investment program of the Philippine government and currently caters to 4.4 million household-beneficiaries nationwide.#