4Ps program, an answer to prayer said by a mother benificiary

Catbalogan City – Sending her children to school was just a dream before for Lucy Regahal, a 48 year old mother of five children, from the town of Basey, Samar.

 

Her family lives in a coastal barangay, about 15 to 20 minutes travel.

 

Her husband is a fish vendor, while she occasionally sells puto (rice cake) and vegetable viand.

 

Regahal family is one of the more than 45,000 Conditional Cash Transfer Program beneficiaries in the province of Samar.

 

“It was hard for us, especially when my eldest child was already in college, we can hardly provide her school needs because we are also thinking of our other children and our youngest child is very sickly,” Lucy narrates.

 

Their problem was answered when her family was included in the list of beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program now called as the Conditional Cash Transfer.

 

“An answer to our prayers, we thought that our problem would not be solved because my eldest child had already decided to stop schooling and our second child was about to enter college when we were included in the program,” Lucy added in a teary eyes.

 

Since becoming a member of 4Ps beneficiary in the town of Basey and also a community leader of beneficiaries, Lucy said that it opened her eyes on the effort of the government to help needy families like them.

 

“We were thankful for this project, we felt blessed because the government is helping us,” she stressed.

For almost three years now, her family receives an amount of P2, 800.00 from 4Ps which she uses for the education, nutrition and health needs of her family.

 

She added that her youngest child health condition is now better while her eldest child is about to graduate next year in college taking BS Administration course at Eastern Visayas State University, while her second child is now a second year college student at Leyte Normal University and taking BS Social Works.

 

The program also taught them backyard gardening, according to Lucy that becomes the source of food of their family.

 

Luck had never stop for Lucy and her family since they become members of the Conditional Cash Transfer Program beneficiary.

 

Just this Monday (December 3), Lucy along with four other families in the province of Samar was awarded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development Regional Office 8 with the Huwarang Pantawid Pamilya Award for Samar Province.

 

They all received P5, 000.00, a plaque of recognition and a certificate.

 

Huwarang Pantawid Pamilya Award is given to 4Ps beneficiary families who had religiously comply the condition set forth by the cash transfer program, and continue to have strong family ties and family values.

The awardees were endorsed by parent-leaders, barangay captains or local government unit officials and verified thru the Compliance Verification System of the DSWD.

 

“This means a happy Christmas for us,” said Lucy.

 

However, Lucy said that she will not spend all the money for Christmas as her eldest child need to buy a book, a requirement in school.

 

Aside from Lucy, other recipient of the Huwarang Pantawid Pamilya award for Samar province were Marilyn Embalzado of San Sebastian, Rowena Advincula of Sta. Rita, Avelina Mañozo of Gandara and Editha Rebato of San Jose de Buan.

 

The five are addition to the five model families awarded in the province of Leyte, four in Biliran and five in Northern Samar, while selected family beneficiaries in the provinces of Eastern Samar and Southern Leyte are soon to be awarded.