First District Rep. Josy Limkaichong has shrugged off reports of cash mismanagement in the implementation of the government’s poverty reduction program dubbed as Pantawid Pamilya, saying that this is not a problem to the program’s implementation in her district.{{more}}
“We never had any problems with this in our area. Just because it is happening in one district does not mean it is also true in other districts,” Limkaichong told the Philippine Information Agency.
Limkaichong made the statement after 3rd Dist. Rep. Pryde Henry Teves claimed in a speech last week that the cash grants being distributed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to families under this program are not being used according to the conditions set by the program.
Teves said he has data showing an increase in liquor sales in the Bayawan City and Sta. Catalina areas belonging to the 3rd District, following the cash pay-out held by DSWD for the families in said areas in December last year.
He alleged that the fathers of the benefitting families are squandering the government-provided funds on alcoholic beverages instead of using it for their family’s health and nutritional expenses as required in said program’s set of conditions for the beneficiaries to comply.
Limkaichong said that it may be true that this is happening but “it’s only a small percentage” of the families covered by the program.
The congresswoman stressed that she has so far not seen any negative implications arising from the program’s implementation in her district.
Limkaichong’s observation was echoed by First District Board Member Jessica Villanueva who said that she has not observed nor heard of any reports of cash mismanagement from 2PS families in their area. “It’s not a problem in our district,” Villanueva said.
The board member, however, reminded 2Ps beneficiaries during her speech at the ceremonial cash payout held in Manjuyod town last week to use their money wisely. “I told them that it’s their own lookout. If they mismanage the money given to them by the government, then they themselves will be the cause why they have been dropped from the program,” said Villanueva.
Violating the Pantawid Pamilya’s conditions or what is known as “grievance error” is a basis for removal from the program, according to DSWD Region 7 Information Officer Aileen Lariba.
Some of the program’s conditions include attendance to family development sessions, regular preventive health check-ups and vaccines for children aged 0-5, at least 85% attendance of children 3-5 year olds in day care or preschool classes and twice-a-year deworming for children aged 6-14 year-olds.
Pantawid Pamilya is a government-initiated poverty reduction program wherein selected poor families in towns with high poverty incidence rates are given monthly cash grants to address the family’s health and nutrition expenses. (RMN/PIA-7 Negros Oriental)