The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office VII, through the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), strengthened its partnership with the different local government units (LGUs) in the region.

The DSWD-7 team, headed by the 4Ps Regional Program Coordinator (RPC) Jiah Sayson, together with the focal persons in the 4Ps Regional Program Management Office (RPMO), Provincial Links, and the City and Municipal Links (C/MLs), paid a courtesy call with the local chief executives and local social welfare and development officers of Carcar City, Minglanilla, Compostela, Daanbantayan, Medellin, and Bogo City in Cebu.

“To start the year right, we visited different local government units to provide them updates about the program and discuss with them the 4Ps thrusts and priorities for 2023,” said RPC  Jiah Sayson.

Sayson added that the support of the LGUs is crucial in the implementation of DSWD programs and services, including the 4Ps.

“The continued engagement with the LGUs is part of the implementation of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and DSWD Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 2022-001 providing the guidelines in support of the implementation of the 4Ps,” added Sayson.

Under the DILG-DSWD JMC, LGUs with identified 4Ps beneficiaries are encouraged to include 4Ps-related programs and activities in each LGU’s budget allocation through the Annual Investment Program (AIP), Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP), and/or Local Poverty Reduction Action Plan (LPRAP); provision of appropriate programs, services, and interventions to vulnerable groups and sectors within the 4Ps; and assistance in the assessment and ensuring resolution of program concerns and feedback in coordination with the DSWD workforce, especially the C/MLs.

LGUs are also expected to facilitate and address the identified supply-side gaps and concerns for health, nutrition, and education to comply with the program conditions as well as livelihood and employment in a timely manner to enable beneficiaries to sustain the gains of the program.

Other important topics discussed in the meeting with the LGUs were the special validation of the 4Ps households unassessed and identified as non-poor in Listahanan 3, strategies to prevent cash card pawning, the registration of potential 4Ps beneficiaries, and the continuing provision of social protection programs and services for both active and graduating 4Ps beneficiaries.

“We also took the opportunity to personally invite them to the first 4Ps Annual Conference of Local Chief Executives, which will be conducted later this year,” said Sayson.

Similar courtesy visits and meetings will be conducted by the DSWD-7 to strengthen partnerships and collaboration with different LGUs.

The 4Ps is the government’s major poverty alleviation program that invests in the health, nutrition, and education of poor, eligible households. These, along with the psychosocial and educational components provided through the Family Development Session (FDS), lead the beneficiaries to have improved and sustained well-being. ###

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