MORE than 500 families from Plaridel in Bulacan have graduated and will be stricken off the list of beneficiaries of the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) after they have “already improved their quality of life” or their children have all graduated from school and are now seeking jobs.
Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian attended yesterday the “Pugay Tagumpay” graduation of the 562 4Ps family beneficiaries that was held at the Don Caesareo San Diego Gym in Barangay Poblacion in Plaridel.
“Kahit saan tayo tumingin, umaabot tayo sa part ng programa kung saan ang mga anak ninyo, nakakatapos ng pag-aaral, nakakahanap ng maayos na trabaho (No matter where we look, we have reached the part of the program where your children have finished their studies and are now looking for decent jobs),” Gatchalian said.
“Ang araw na ito ay selebrasyon dahil sa inyong disiplina, sa inyong pagpupursigi, sa inyong paniniwala na kaya pa nating gawing mas maayos ang ating kinabukasan, iyon ang selebrasyon sa araw na ito (Today, we celebrate your discipline, perseverance, and belief that we can still make our future better. That’s the reason for the celebration today),” he also said.
Gatchalian assured the 4Ps graduates of continued support from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the local government.
He said the 4Ps graduates can avail of the DSWD Sustainable Livelihood Program that provide livelihood assistance that would help them start a small business to ensure a steady income for their families.
The DSWD said that aside from the 562 graduates from Plaridel, 144,167 beneficiaries nationwide have recently exited from the program after they have been assessed to have achieved self-sufficiency in their overall well-being.
Gatchalian earlier said that some 700,000 4Ps families are set to graduate from the program by August this year. The program currently benefits 4.4 million poor families.
