DSWD rolls out conditional cash transfer program

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www.csc.gov.ph I The enewsletter of the Philippine Civil Service I January 2011 Paying It Forward Praescriptio Chairman Francisco T.

As we start a new decade in the 21st century, it is my wish that we serve with passion and renewed hope for the government.

government. Read on how this greatly impacts the poverty-reduction efforts of the government.

Programs such as these keep their hands busy with worthwhile activities, allow them to generate some income, and aid in the rehabilitation of the inmate.

1 I The enewsletter of the Philippine Civil Service I January 2011 Paying It Forward Praescriptio Chairman Francisco T. Duque III Civil Service Commission 2011: Hope Anew First of all, I would like to greet the dedicated civil servants of the Philippine bureaucracy a very happy new year! As we start a new decade in the 21st century, it is my wish that we serve with passion and renewed hope for the government. To get our engines started to RACE in 2011, we are featuring the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), the government s conditional cash transfer program under the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Funds for 4Ps are culled from a multi-million dollar loan from multi-lateral lending agencies including WB and Australian Agency for International Development (Aus- AID), and counterpart funds of the government. Read on how this greatly impacts the poverty-reduction efforts of the government. Also in this issue are the exquisite handicraft products by the female inmates of the Quezon City Jail (QCJ). These handicrafts are part of the livelihood program of the QCJ. Programs such as these keep their hands busy with worthwhile activities, allow them to generate some income, and aid in the rehabilitation of the inmate. Lastly, to give you inspiration and hope for the new year, read about 2010 Lingkod Bayan awardee Renato Solidum, head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), who studies and monitors seismic activities and geotectonic phenomena in the country for the safety of the people. Here s to a blessed and fruitful year. Cheers! DSWD rolls out conditional cash transfer program Money matters this phrase rings true in the daily lives of hundreds of poor Filipino families nationwide. Poverty alleviation has long been a government program in the Philippines, where, according to a 2010 Social Weather Stations report, 49% of families rated themselves as poor. The rate of hunger incidence among 3.4 million families is up by more than 2%, from last year s 15.1% to this year s 18.1%*. Increase in poverty and hunger in 2010 is attributed to the high prices of basic commodities. In a Business World article, Presidential Communications Development Secretary Ricky Carandang was quoted as saying, The fact that there was some increase makes it all the more urgent for us to get our social programs in place. We re hoping that some of that will be felt this year. The 4Ps The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has responded to this need by rolling out its conditional cash transfer program (CCT), dubbed Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). 4Ps, according to the DSWD, is a poverty reduction and social development strategy of the national government that provides conditional cash grants to extremely poor households to improve their health, nutrition and education, particularly of children aged It has two components social assistance or the provision of cash assistance to alleviate their immediate need and social development or breaking the intergenerational poverty cycle through investments in human capital. 4Ps also play a crucial role in fulfilling the country s commitment to

Source: http://pantawid.dswd.gov.ph the Millennium Development Goals, which includes extreme poverty and hunger eradication.

Nod from experts DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman fields questions from potential beneficiaries in Taytay, Palawan during a 4Ps dialogue.

2 Source: the Millennium Development Goals, which includes extreme poverty and hunger eradication. The goal is to reduce by half the proportion of people living in poverty and hunger. Nod from experts DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman fields questions from potential beneficiaries in Taytay, Palawan during a 4Ps dialogue. The program was met with mixed reactions and predictions, but in November 2010, an international expert provided insight on its benefits given its effective implementation. The program s safety net component aims to provide social assistance for short-term poverty reduction but in the long run eradicates poverty by building the capacity of children of poor families to complete schooling and improve health conditions, which is considered a huge investment in human capital, says international adviser on poverty Tarcisio Castañeda in a Philippine Daily Inquirer article. Castañeda expounded on the impact of conditional cash transfer programs in developing countries around the globe, which helped empower families and allow them better living conditions. He also said that DSWD s program has key designs which are sensitive to the Filipino culture and value. World Bank Country Director for the Philippines Bert Hofman believes that the conditional cash transfer program is an effective means of alleviating poverty, especially in a developing country like the Philippines. "Reducing the vulnerability of poor households to sudden economic difficul- DSWD targets the younger generation as beneficiaries to break the poverty cycle. Source:

3 ties and improving their access to education and health services are among the most tangible ways to make growth work for the poor," said Hofman in a statement. Developing and implementing the program During the last quarter of 2010, DSWD Secretary Corazon Dinky Soliman conducted and joined various fora nationwide to promote and explain the 4Ps. Various sectors were also brought together to explore sustainable measures to make the program more beneficial to the country s 4 million poor families. The participants committed to support the implementation of 4Ps. Soliman assured the public that DSWD will come up with a clean list of beneficiaries, addressing only the genuine poor. She also stressed that only the DSWD has the authority to put or remove names on the beneficiaries list. [DSWD] selected the beneficiaries so no congressman or any local government official had anything to do with it. So those politicians who claim they will add your name to the list or will remove your name from the list what they re saying is not true. They are not in the position to do that, she added. The World Bank cautioned that CCT programs generate full synergies between social assistance and human capital development only where the supply of health and education services is extensive and of reasonable quality. Implementation of programs can be administratively demanding and involves extensive coordination between agencies of the government. Reducing poverty 4Ps style The DSWD s 4Ps has the capability to reflect the government s efficiency in alleviating poverty among the poorest of the poor. But more importantly, the beneficiaries of the program should be able to understand the dynamics and purpose of the program. The 4Ps, according to the DSWD, is not about giving subsidy to identified poor families and allowing them to do what they want with the cash grants. The program is more concerned about making poor families responsible, putting the opportunity for a better life in their hands. It is a means to ensure that the younger generations are equipped to have a better chance at life and to cut the intergenerational cycle of poverty. With this noble goal, the DSWD looks forward to changed lives and reduced instances of poverty and hunger in

Crocheted dresses, bags, pouches, wallets, cellphone cases Acapulco Herbal Soap Fabric Conditioner Out Sell Fifty-four-year old Magdalena Bruno has spent the past seven years at the Quezon City Jail

Livelihood projects form part of the four major areas of rehabilitation in the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).

Engagement in the livelihood program reinforces the dignity and self worth of a person. The livelihood projects available at the QCJ are mostly handicraft products made by the inmates themselves.

They also make Acapulco herbal soaps, papaya beauty soaps, fabric softener and dishwashing liquid.

4 Crocheted dresses, bags, pouches, wallets, cellphone cases Acapulco Herbal Soap Fabric Conditioner Out Sell Fifty-four-year old Magdalena Bruno has spent the past seven years at the Quezon City Jail (QCJ) Female Dorm. While her case is still on trial, she busies herself as the Livelihood Coordinator of the QCJ Livelihood Program. Livelihood projects form part of the four major areas of rehabilitation in the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP). The livelihood projects are designed to transform inmates to be productive and provide them with sources of income. Engagement in the livelihood program reinforces the dignity and self worth of a person. The livelihood projects available at the QCJ are mostly handicraft products made by the inmates themselves. They offer crocheted products likes dresses, bags, wallets, cellphone holders and headbands; while some bags, pouches, keychains and tissue holders are made of beads. They also make Acapulco herbal soaps, papaya beauty soaps, fabric softener and dishwashing liquid. An inmate interested to earn a living inside the jail simply has to buy raw materials provided by the QCJ through the livelihood program funds. She then makes the products and sells them to customers who are mostly family, visitors in the jail and volunteers. The profit generated from the sales of the product is the inmate s. Sometime last year, the SM-owned Kultura Filipino, a store that showcases native Filipino handicrafts, souvenir and apparel commissioned labor from the QCJ inmates. Kultura provided the materi- als and the inmates were paid for their labor services. The inmates were able to produce 293 nicely-crafted crocheted bags that were sold in SM Makati. Jail Officer II Brenda De Leon, Inmates Welfare and Development Officer of the QCJ says that out of the 496 inmates of the QCJ Female Dorm, about half of them actively participates in the livelihood projects. Maganda yung programa, nakakatulong sa amin. Kasi hirap na hirap kami sa paggastos dito. At least nagkakaroon kami ng kita sa livelihood program na ito, explains Bruno. She shares that the profit they get from selling the products are used to buy food and other daily expenses inside the jail. Depende sa panahon, minsan kumikita ako ng P1000/month, she says. Although the QCJ livelihood program is a source of income for the inmates, Bruno wishes that they would be able to get bulk orders from customers. Kailangan namin ng market para may pagbebentahan kami, she explains. De Leon acknowledges the need to promote the inmates products. She says that they are looking at the possibility to market online. Gagawa kami ng website para ma-promote ang products. We re trying to tap NGOs and service providers because this would help a lot, she says. While still in the process of scouting for customers, the QCJ inmates hope that this livelihood program would indeed aid in their rehabilitation once they have served their time in jail

5 Down to Earth Dr. Renato U. Solidum Jr. s (center) hands-on monitoring during the Mayon Volcano eruption in 2010 ensured that there was zero casualty. We do things with excellence and integrity, not to please others and expect rewards, but to please God our Creator. - Dr. Renato U. Solidum Jr., 2010 Lingkod Bayan Awardee Mayon Volcano threatened to have a major eruption in late Mt. Bulusan in Sorsogon showed signs of volcanic activity last year. There were also recorded felt intensities of earthquakes across the country. Natural phenomena such as these are enough to send people into panic. But this is where Dr. Renato U. Solidum Jr. s work revolves. Dr. Solidum is the director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), the service institute of the Department of Science and Technology principally mandated to mitigate disasters that may arise from volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunami and other related geotectonic phenomena. A committed public servant, he is keen on keeping people abreast with information on natural occurrences. He personally attends to the monitoring of volcanic activities. Studying and monitoring actual eruptions of volcanoes and observing lahar events in the field, despite the dangers that they are exposed to, so that they can give appropriate forecast and assessment of what may follow next to the public are among the routine activities that he finds memorable in his field of work. He spearheaded the nationwide mapping of identified tsunami-prone areas in the Philippines, providing tsunami hazard maps for the provinces with coastal communities. He made possible a multi-agency effort for the detailed multihazards mapping and assessment hazard information campaign, strengthening of community-based disaster preparedness and the initiation of mainstreaming of risk reduction into the local development planning process. He took the lead in the successful monitoring and prediction of - 5 -

6 Mayon Volcano in Albay during its eruption resulting to zero casualty. He also opened PHIVOLCS to external reviews of foreign counterparts and engaged with foreign and local collaborative partners in simulation exercises to better improve its standard operating procedures for tsunami warning information and dissemination. He continued to open doors for PHIVOLCS for international collaboration and was also instrumental for the approval of several important internationally funded projects for disaster mitigation and risk assessment. Because of his outstanding accomplishments as head of PHIVOLCS since his appointment as director in 2003, he was awarded the Lingkod Bayan Award, a presidential award conferred to public officials or employees for outstanding work performance. Dr. Solidum s work ethic is one that is marked by commitment to excellence, integrity and service. He does his job not to please others and be rewarded, but because he loves his work and he wants to help the public. When we work, we strive to do our best. Our work attitude should come from the heart. We do things with excellence and integrity, not to please others and expect rewards, but to please God our Creator. If our intentions are noble, we will be blessed accordingly, he says. Being awarded the Presidential or Lingkod Bayan Award carries great responsibility to be a role model among my colleagues and fellow government workers. I will continue what I have been doing all these years and provide guidance to my staff, to give constructive criticism and also be open to criticisms and suggestions to further improve our services. Earthquakes definitely cannot shake Dr. Solidum s commitment to public service PHIVOLCS Director Renato U. Solidum Jr. (right) explains the monitoring and hazards assessment of PHIVOLCS to former Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (left) who visited the Institute for its outstanding disaster management and research and development programs on volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis. The Lingkod Bayan Award, Dangal ng Bayan Award and Pagasa Award are the honor awards conferred to individuals or groups of outstanding public servants. The Honor Awards Program (HAP) is sponsored by the President's Social Fund, University of the Philippines, Philippine Normal University, Technological University of the Philippines, Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges, Philippine Heart Center, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Lung Center of the Philippines, Philippine General Hospital, National Broadcasting Network 4, Radio-Television Malacañang, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, Department of Tourism, Duty Free Philippines, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, Development Bank of the Philippines, Social Security System, Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, SM Investments Corporation, Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University and Far Eastern University.

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