4,000 GenSan indigents receive education, health subsidy

By Michelle Ann Gonzales

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (24 February 2014) - Some 4,000 indigents of General Santos City benefit from the Modified Conditional Cash Transfer (MCCT) of Department of Social Welfare and Development in partnership with the city government.  

The MCCT program aims to assist the identified poor families from the 26 barangays of GenSan by providing them educational and health allowance.

City Mayor Ronnel Rivera encouraged families to utilize the money well making sure they will send their children to school.

Through the MCCT, beneficiaries are entitled to receive a monthly cash amount of P300 educational grant per child and P500 health grant per family.

One of the beneficiaries Maria Teresea Andales, 46, from Barangay Tambler was happy upon receiving the cash grant during the pay-out schedule at Barangay Bula Gymnasium Saturday (February 22).

“Dakong tabang gyud ang MCCT sa among pamilya labi na unom ka buok akong anak, nagapasalamat gyud ko sa DSWD ug kay Mayor Rivera sa pagtagad sa mga nanginahanglan. (MCCT is a huge help to our family especially that I have six children, I thank the DSWD and Mayor Rivera for regarding the needy),” Andales said.

The MCCT is a prototype of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, the country’s Conditional Cash Transfer program.

Elviva Capote, MCCT coordinator of the city government, said the program assists families with special needs to overcome their present difficult situation through educational and health cash grant provision.

“I believe that this money will assist every family. Together with the DSWD and local government, we will do our best to send every child to school and to facilitate every family’s health care needs,” Mayor Rivera said in his speech.

Education, health and modified social services are the three major priorities in Mayor Rivera’s CLEAN GenSan flagship program. CLEAN means Creating a Livable Environment for All in GenSan towards Nation-building.

In Rivera’s CLEAN GenSan education agenda, he reiterated his goal to enhance the Early Childhood Care Development Centers in the 26 barangays of the city. A division under the City Mayor’s Office called AKLAT was already formed to formulate an action plan for the development and interventions together with appropriate City Hall departments.

Meanwhile, the mayor’s health agenda focuses on health accessibility. Hence the program Tulong Alay sa Mamayan, Bilisang Alaga sa Nangangailangan sa GenSan (TAMBAL) was created in pursuit of augmenting health care needs among the destitute population of the city.

With the mentioned programs and initiatives designed to maximize the people’s potential and with the national agencies support, Mayor Rivera is confident that families would have better living condition.

“However, if we keep on assisting you without you doing your part in participating well to these programs, we cannot take any leap from here,” Mayor Rivera also told the beneficiaries.

According to Capote, cash grants will be given provided that MCCT beneficiaries comply with the conditionality.

One of these is a weekly attendance to Family Development Sessions (FDS) for the first two months and once a month attendance to FDS for the succeeding months. Children must also attend an alternative mode of learning or formal schools, and visit health centers.

Likewise, the family must reside in a permanent home after six months of social preparation. (GENSAN INFO OFFICE/ Michelle Ann Gonzales)