Sulu islanders want out of 4Ps program

SULU – Residents and town officials of the island of Pata have assailed the Ministry of Social Services and Development for its alleged failure to properly release the money to the beneficiaries of the government’s conditional cash transfer program called 4Ps or the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

Now Pata residents and municipal officials led by Vice Mayor Anton Burahan wanted out of the program, citing the “unjust treatment and inconsiderate verification process” that hindered the payment of dues as far back as 2018 to beneficiaries.

Burahan also sought a meeting with Governor Sakur Tan and relayed their sentiments after beneficiaries of the 4Ps program complained to them. Over a dozen village chieftains, including the president of the Association of Barangay Captains, Barle Sahid; and 8 municipal councilors, also joined the protest against the Ministry of Social Services and Development.

According to Sahid, aside from the birth certificates of 4Ps beneficiaries as proof of their identity, the Ministry of Social Services and Development wanted more documents to facilitate the claims and this despite the biometric validation and intervention of the local Commission on Election attesting to the veracity of identity of the 4Ps beneficiaries.

Burahan said his town is an island far away from the capital town of Jolo where residents are mostly fisherfolks about 11 nautical miles – and it will be extremely difficult for the 4Ps beneficiaries to travel, aside from the expensive boat fare they have to shell out to go and secure all additional documents being required by the Ministry of Social Services and Development.

Tan also met with social services officer Hindun Angsa and told her about the complaints of the 4Ps beneficiaries.

Angsa has apologized for causing any discontent discomfort to the beneficiaries of the 4Ps. “We are there to fulfill the commitment of the 4P’s program. This was never our intention,” she told Pata officials.

Tan rebuked the implementers of the 4Ps program and told them to be respectful and sensitive to the situation of the people. “We are very much concerned of these recent developments in the implementation of the 4P’s program. Hindi lahat ng ibibigay ninyo ay tatanggapin namin, dapat may respeto,” he said.

The governor is expected to bring the matter to higher authorities to ensure compliance to the objectives of the 4Ps program, and to address matters and concerns in the conditional cash transfer program.

The 4Ps program provides conditional cash grants to the poorest of the poor, to improve the health, nutrition and education of children aged 0-18. It was patterned after the conditional cash transfer scheme implemented in other developing countries where beneficiaries must comply with a set of conditions required by the program.

In the Philippines, a household or beneficiary is entitled to receive P500 per month as health grant. A maximum of three children per household is covered by the program.every monitored child in elementary school receives P300 as education grant and in high school, P500 per month for 10 months as education grant.

The program also provides P600 a month or P7,200 per year rice subsidy for each family, and P200 a month for 2018, and another P300 a month from 2019 up to 2020 to help the poor cushion adverse economic effects of new taxes. (Mindanao Examiner)