Cash grant to poor reaching target, says WB
THE GOVERNMENT'S cash subsidy program for indigent families has been
found successful in achieving targets for improving maternal health care
and child education, according to the World Bank (WB).
In a press conference yesterday in Makati City, the World Bank, citing
results of its Impact Evaluation on the conditional cash transfer, said
the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is on track to achieving
its social objectives.
"The Pantawid Program is really on track to achieve its goals," said
Junko Onishi, monitoring and evaluation specialist of the international
agency.
In a statement, the Washington-based lender also said preliminary
results suggest that the program has impact on the target beneficiaries.
Under the subsidy scheme, each family living below the poverty line is
given up to P1,400 per month or P500 per mother and P300 each for up to
three children, provided that children aged 3-14 years old must attend
at least 85% of classes, avail of regular visits to health centers and
receive vaccines.
Mothers must also undergo pre and postnatal care. The benefits are given
to recipient families for five years.
The beneficiaries are identified under the National Household Targeting
System for Poverty Reduction of the Department of Social Welfare and
Development.
The government allotted P39.445 billion for the program this year to
benefit 3.105 million families, up from 2.32 million beneficiaries last
year. Covered families is expected to rise to 3.8 million in 2013 with a
budget of P44.256 billion.
The World Bank has commissioned the Social Weather Stations to conduct a
three-wave survey for the 4Ps' assessment, the first of which involved
1,418 households last year.
The program has so far covered 704 households for over two years. Areas
covered by the survey are Lanao del Norte, Mountain Province, Negros
Oriental and Occidental Mindoro.
INITIAL RESULTS
Initial results showed that the enrollment rates in preschool and
elementary of recipient households are 76% and 98%, respectively, while
those of non-beneficiaries are 65% and 93%, respectively.
Children from recipient families are also more likely to regularly
attend school with a rate of 98%, five points higher than the rate for
children whose families are not covered by the cash grant.
Children are also more likely to avail of health services such as
de-worming and receive supplements.
It was also found that pregnant women empowered under the program are
more likely to receive prenatal and postnatal services than
non-beneficiaries.
Recipient families also spend 36% more on education and 33% more on
medicine and medical services, according to the survey.
While the preliminary findings show positive results, Ms. Onishi said
that the full extent of the program's effect on the "poorest of the
poor" is yet to be seen when the final results are released in December.
"When the analysis is completed, we will know the full spectrum of the
impacts the program brings as well as the challenges for future
improvement," she said in the press statement.
FARM FROM OVER
Meanwhile, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon "Dinky" J. Soliman welcomed
the results, saying that the fight against poverty is far from over.
"The challenge to the government is to sustain these improvements in the
lives of the families from the program," she said in the same statement,
noting the need to reach the target 4.3 million poor households by 2016
and for recipients to continue complying with the grant conditions.
"Toward this end, a coordinated approach is necessary where national
government agencies involved in poverty reduction coordinate their
activities and interventions to maximize government's investment in
human capital," said the Cabinet official.
Sought for comment on what aspects of the program can still be improved,
Ms. Soliman said during the press conference that the number of public
health care facilities such as maternity clinics should be increased.
"[We] should look at the supply side of health centers to ensure that
mothers and children are getting health services," she said.
The official also said that the department is in talks with
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan on the possibility
of extending the limit of age coverage for child beneficiaries to 18
from 14 years old, considering the two additional years in under the K
to 12 educational program.
"There is a strong clamor for that. It is something we need to look at
in relation to finance. That will need additional budget," she said.
INFORMAL SETTLERS look out from the windows of their homes in Manila.
More than two million people in Metro Manila, or roughly one-fifth of
the sprawling city's population, live in shanty towns. The urban blight
is worsening as the country's population continues to expand at one of
the fastest rates in the world and people from rural areas head to
Manila and other cities in search of work. -- AFP
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