CCT: A program cut out for DSWD

My July 4, 2011 and August 8, 2011 columns on the country’s conditional cash transfer program dubbed as Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program elicited a very informative reaction from the implementing agency itself, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). I honestly feel this reaction written by Ms. Ma. Evelyn B. Macapobre (Director IV) deserves printing in full and is shown in the succeeding paragraphs. 

“The Department of Social Welfare and Development is glad to have an ally in you in the realization that there is a tendency to focus on poverty only at its face value and not at its roots as mentioned in your July 4, 2011 of The Freeman.

Seeing the need to address such issue, the national government through the DSWD has implemented the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, a program with the concept of transferring cash to families as they invest in their children’s human capital through regular attendance in school and preventive healthcare, which have in its early stage of implementation as you have noted a significant increase in school attendance and basic preventive healthcare.

Since there is still some skepticism on the program, allow us the opportunity to shed light on the program implementation. It is not too late for today’s poor to break the intergeneration cycle of poverty through education and trust and one of the strategies is the implementation of the conditional cash transfer dubbed as “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program” through DSWD.

Designed to provide conditional cash grants to extremely poor household with children 0-14 years old as much as P1,400/month for health (500/month) and education (P300/month/child but a maximum of three children only). For these beneficiaries to receive the said cash grant, set of conditions pertaining to health and education have been identified for the beneficiaries to comply such as pre-natal and post-natal care for pregnant women, children 0-5 must have immunization and monitored weighing. As for education, children starting three years old must attend classes at least 85% of the time and while the children get educated, so does the parents during their Family Development Session (FDS) which they are required to attend at least once-a-month.

The uniqueness in the Philippines implementation of the CCT comes in the implementation of the Family Development Session wherein modules are formulated with topics covering but not limited to Understanding and Accepting Roles as Parents, Maternal and Child Care, Building Children’s Positive Behavior, Responsible Parenthood, Laws Affecting Filipino Family, Gender and Development, Home Management, Financial Capability and Opportunities for Skills Training and Livelihood Programs are being taught to these families, thus empowering and equipping them with knowledge to be better parents and useful citizens. This would also paved the way for the poor to get back the dignity they lost thus shunning mendicancy.

Also, the strict monitoring of the compliance of the beneficiaries with three installed systems namely Beneficiary Update System for updated monitoring and profiling of each household ensuring that their cash cards and identification cards are intact, Compliance Verification System for the monthly monitoring of compliance where their cash releases are to be based and Grievance Redress System to track and handle complaints and concerns.

If loan sharks are said to breed with the program, so does the number of literate, empowered citizens who could already identify when they are being taken advantage of. For those beneficiaries who opt to deviate from the policies of the program in spite of efforts exerted by the agency in providing means and ways for them to access various services not just from the DSWD but with other agencies as well to help them cross poverty threshold, a written warning and a suspension of their grant for three months shall be given to them on the first offense coupled with counseling sessions by our field workers. However, if such act of pawning will again be committed, said beneficiary will automatically be delisted.

Rest assured that vigilance and aggressive advocacy on the policy of non-pawning and non-collateral of cash grant is being done in the field by no less than the DSWD field workers.”

It is refreshing to note that the DSWD has set out the “womb to tomb” processes of its CCT program. As emphasized in this program, I fully agree that education is the proven antidote to poverty. That is, education for both parents and kids. It is also noteworthy that the program has put in place strict monitoring system of the beneficiaries’ compliance of established conditions.

However, there were some issues I raised with respect to the program that our esteemed public servants with the DSWD have not addressed.   To reiterate, I emphasized then the experiences of other countries which implemented the same CCT program way ahead of us. Reportedly, in these countries (upon implementation of these programs), increases in school enrollment and attendance were noted and a significant improvement in health and nutrition were felt. Notably, however, it was only felt in the short term as household income was increased by the dole-out and, consequently, consumption in poor families raised as well.  

Moreover, while there could be lots of benefits the CCT programs may bring, other countries that implemented them way ahead of us have faced multitudes of obstacles. Such obstacles have caused some programs to stagnate or completely terminate. Unfortunately for us, these are the same obstacles that are apparently obtaining in our midst. As experienced by these countries, on many instances, the programs failed on account of changes in political leadership, natural disasters, or changes in program administration that normally cause the delay in the implementation schedule and lead to decreased efficiency or program termination. 

Furthermore, another common barrier to success (which we are similarly situated) is the impossibility of implementing the program. For one, some poverty-stricken families are situated in remote communities where schools and health centers are miles away. Therefore, they cannot comply with the conditions of the CCT program. Are they not the most qualified beneficiaries of this program? In fact, it is quite sad that because most of these remote areas are unreachable by our public servants, it could be so that they are also unreachable through the airwaves as well. Therefore, they are truly isolated and may not be aware of this program. Truth be told, these brothers of ours have helped us in many ways. By staying put in the places where they are right now in the countryside, they have helped by not adding to the congestion woes in the urban areas. Therefore, in a way, they have not contributed in padding the list of potential criminals and informal settlers in these areas. Yet, though truly deserving of this program, they have been (as always) constantly denied.

On the other hand, when the program’s life ends, what will the program’s beneficiaries life could be? Yes, the program emphasized education and, lately, provision of working capital. Are these kinds of benefits not provided in the country’s Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP)? Is it not that Landbank has pampered them with working capital? Yet, most of them failed.

Clearly, as what our other own poverty alleviation programs have been, there could only be two (2) possibilities. First, they will demand for the extension of the program (just like the CARP) with increased benefits. Or, secondly, they will demand for another improved mendicant program to replace it. Sadly, however, in both instances, they are still perpetual mendicants. 

Truthfully though, unlike the personalities in the Department of Agrarian Reform, I can feel the sincerity of the men and women of DSWD in trying to make this program see the light of day. In all honesty, that might make the difference.

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