BAGUIO CITY– Some Parent Leaders of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program were able to share to the media how their lives have been changed by the program.

 This is during the State of the Department of Social Welfare and Development- Field Office Cordillera Address of DSWD’s Regional Director Leonardo C. Reynoso. The city beneficiaries of the Pantawid Program attended the event to share the experiences they gained from the Program especially on the lessons they learned from their monthly Family Development Sessions.

 The Family Development Session (FDS) is a monthly assembly of the parent beneficiaries that aims to promote, empower, and nurture families towards strengthened capacity to meet familial and parental responsibilities through the conduct of neighborhood-based family education activities.

 Ligaya de la Cruz, a Barangay Health Worker volunteer narrated the impact of FDS not only to her household but also to herself.

 “Dahil po sa Family Development Sessions ay tunay pong na-strengthen yung relationship namin sa pamilya at doon po namin nakita at natutunan  kung papaano pa maging matibay ang pundasyon  ng isang pamilya”, she said.

 Aling Ligaya also related that FDS has contributed to the enhancement of the different skills of her fellow beneficiaries as well as in the development of their self –esteem. 

 Another Parent Leader from the city, Tessie Diestro, recounted how grateful she is because of the Pantawid Program’s big support to her family especially she is raising her five children alone as a single parent. She emphasized that people do not have to wait for how many years to see the impact of the Program because not everything can be seen by the naked eye but can be felt by the heart.

 “You don’t need to wait five years, four years or one year para makita mo yung resulta. Nakikita mo talaga na even just for a moment na nandyan at nasa beneficiary na din kung paano mo gamitin yung grants”, she said.

 “Hindi nakikita ng mata pero nararamdaman ng puso I’m so glad na nandyan ang mga programs ng DSWD lalo na ang Pantawid”, she added.

She also reminded the beneficiaries and the public that the Program is not a dole-out.

 “Hindi po dole out ito dahil may oath of commitment na they signed na meron kang sinusundan din at may mga patakaran na dapat sundin dito sa Pantawid Program na hindi lang binibigay na libre”, she said.

 The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program has been implemented since 2008. In Baguio City, there are 2,897 beneficiaries as of 9 September 2013.# JOMEL ANTHONY V. GUTIERREZ, DSWD-CAR Social Marketing Unit