BANGUED, Abra, Jan. 22 (PIA) – Director Porfiria M. Bernardez of the Department of Social Welfare and Development – Cordillera Administrative Region (DSWD-CAR) lauded the youth enumerators fielded to the remotest and isolated upland municipality of Tineg.

“I consider the youth enumerators as heroes, for braving the challenge and taking the risk of going to the most controversial municipality in Abra, Tineg to finally include the poor people of the said town in the DSWD’s 4 Ps program.” Bernardez said in radio interview.

Last January 18, some 15 youngsters dared the challenge of the DSWD-CAR Director to conduct the enumeration of the households in the 10 barangays of the town. It will take them at least 15 days to do the job.

In the same program, she explained to the public the importance of being counted in the enumeration for the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction.

Bernardez also took the opportunity to appeal to the local officials of Tineg to cooperate with the agency so that the their constituents can benefit from the various programs and projects of the national government to reduce poverty such as the on-going Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or the more popular 4Ps program of the DSWD.

For some years now, the people of Tineg have been be deprived of the poverty reduction programs of the national government such as the Food for School Program, a joint-undertaking of the DSWD, the Department of Education (DepEd) and the National Food Authority (NFA) because of the lack of roads and bridges and the very poor peace and order condition of the place.

But government is now slowly penetrating the place. Last January 18,Governor Eustaquio P. Bersamin lead the team composed of the DSWD-CAR, Provincial Social Welfare Office, Provincial Health Office, 503rd Infantry Brigade, Philippine Army, and the LGU of Tineg for the launching of the poverty reduction program at Sitio Tapayen, Brgy. Alaoa, Tineg.

The provincial government distributed relief goods while medical personnel from the provincial government and the Philippine Army conducted a medical and dental mission which benefited about 289 individuals. (PIA CAR-Abra)