The Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office Cordillera Administrative Region (DSWD FO CAR), through the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS), has launched the “TheraFee” Project under the Cash-for-Work Program for Persons with Disabilities (CFWP-PWD). “TheraFee”, short for “Therapy for Fee,” is a pioneering initiative designed to recognize, incentivize, and strengthen caregiving support for PWDs with high support needs.

The “TheraFee” Project aims to monetize and incentivize caregiving labor, provide essential care services to PWDs with Permanent Total Disability (PWD-PTDs), empower care workers through capacity-building activities, promote gender equality and social inclusion in caregiving, and strengthen family and community support systems.

“TheraFee” primarily benefits caregivers engaged in structured home-based care, while PWD-PTDs serve as secondary beneficiaries. Eligible PWD beneficiaries include minors or adults with irreversible physical, sensory, intellectual, or psychosocial impairments that permanently hinder their ability to engage in substantial gainful employment and render them fully dependent on daily care and support. Beneficiaries must hold a valid PWD Identification Card or any official document proving their disability status.

Under the program, caregivers will receive a daily wage of PhP252.50. Participants may engage in up to 20 days of work, with a maximum of four hours per day.

50 beneficiaries will be enrolled across six municipalities in CAR: Lagayan, Abra and Conner, Apayao with nine each, and Bokod, Benguet; Alfonso Lista, Ifugao; Balbalan, Kalinga; and Barlig, Mountain Province with eight each. These municipalities were selected based on poverty incidence, the number of registered persons with disabilities, and the presence of an Area Coordinating Team (ACT), making them the endorsed target areas for the year.

The “TheraFee” Project highlights DSWD’s commitment to inclusive development by recognizing caregiving as essential labor and ensuring that families caring for persons with high support needs receive structured support. By strengthening caregiving capacity at the household and community levels, the initiative contributes to dignity, empowerment, and improved quality of life for both caregivers and persons with disabilities. #DSWD-CAR, KALAHI-CIDSS RPMO, Yvonne Gracious T. Elegado, Project Development Officer III