The Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office 7—Central Visayas, through the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), funded 35 Enhanced Support Services Intervention (ESSI) projects amounting to Php 7,296,687.00 in 2024.
The ESSI aims to provide supplementary interventions to the 4Ps partner beneficiaries, especially those who belong to the indigenous peoples (IP), homeless families, and other vulnerable groups like farmers, fishermen, and those living in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs), to be able to meet their basic needs through convergence of programs and services and to ensure that they are ready to comply with the different conditionalities of the program.
The ESSI projects range from eco-cultural livelihood assistance and income generation projects, community and youth development projects, small-scale community projects, alternative family homes, and cash for work.
Some ESSI projects in Bohol province are rice and feed retails and the production of liquid detergent, liquid dishwashing, and fabric conditioner in Brgy. Bugsoc, Sierra Bullones, and capital assistance for retail store management in Brgy. Del Carmen Weste in the town of Balilihan.
In Cebu, some of the approved projects are capital assistance of the Hagdan Dried Fish Association in Brgy. Hagdan, Santa Fe; rice and feed retailing in Brgy. Hilotongan in Bantayan; hog raising or fattening in Brgy. Esperanza in Poro; and poultry production of native chicken in Brgy. Kanghumaod in the town of Dumanjug.
For Negros Oriental, the DSWD approved the capital assistance on goat fattening in Brgy. Cangguhob in Mabinay, egg layer production in Brgy. Tubod, Bindoy, and capital assistance for Brgy. Poblacion 1 RCCT L2 Consumers Enterprise project of Bais City.
In Siquijor province, the funded ESSI project is the swine raising in barangays Cang-alwang and Tongo in Siquijor.
According to Regional Director Shalaine Marie Lucero, the ESSI funds are considered a revolving fund, or in the vernacular, pahulam na walay interest. These projects intend to become a platform to empower 4Ps groups by establishing or strengthening the people organizations. By empowering them, they take charge of their development, leading to long-term and positive results for themselves, their families, and their communities.
Lucero added that through the ESSI projects, the Department provided safeguards to 4P beneficiaries to access additional interventions with complementation services from partner local government units and national government agencies.
One of the successful ESSI projects is the Bagayanon Bigasan and General Merchandise in Daanbantayan, Cebu, in which 76 4Ps beneficiaries received Php 760,000.00 in 2018.
To equip them for business management, the group elected their officers and formed committees to take charge of the different aspects of their daily store operation. They also attended a simple bookkeeping training facilitated by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The group officially opened their store on October 18, 2018.
After two (2) years, the group started seeing the return of their start-up capital of Php 760,000.00 and even generated a profit amounting to Php 54,292.80. For them, it is a huge achievement not only for the members but also for the community. They sustained their business during the pandemic and served as a significant source of food and non-food supplies in the community.
With a profitable business, the group transferred to a prime location in Daanbantayan, along a major thoroughfare and adjacent to several local government buildings. They spent Php 35,000.00 on their permanent concrete building and bought a new refrigerator and freezer for ice cream and meat products. The members and their families volunteered to clean the area and helped in the actual construction. On April 18, 2021, the group occupied their new store building.
The association established a rewards and points value system for their patrons to further increase their profit and provide service to the community. Each purchased item in their store has its own points value, and each point gained entitles one to redeem a reward or a gift.
“The success story of the Bagayanon Bigasan and General Merchandise is proof that by empowering our 4Ps groups, they will contribute significantly to the holistic development and well-being of their family and communities while we are also helping them in sending their children to school and be healthy through the cash grants they received from the program,” underscored Lucero.
The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is a national government program that invests in the health and education of poor households, primarily children aged 18 and below, implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) together with other government agencies, including the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Health (DOH). ###
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