Muntinlupa City- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program will award today the 2017 Huwarang Pantawid Pamilya as it closes the national search.

Now on its 5th year, the search aims to recognize family-beneficiaries who have maintained strong family ties, demonstrate positive Filipino values and being looked up as models in the community.

The search received 15 entries coming from the different regions in the entire country. Out of the 15 entries, five (5) regional finalists will be competing for the grand award. They are the Catubig family of Maria, Siquijor; Nalam family of Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental; Mahayag family of San Francisco, Quezon; Cabualan family of Leon, Iloilo and Betua family of Sto. Tomas, Davao del Norte.

This year’s theme “Pamilyang Pilipino: Handang tumawid sa kaunlaran”, communicates the family-beneficiaries’ ability and confidence to move out of poverty. It emphasizes the perseverance of the beneficiaries complemented with the programs and services of the Department and its partner agencies and organizations.

“These families are living testimonies that poverty should not stop us from pursuing our dreams and be models in our own little way. We are very much honored to recognize them today and accord them with this kind of distinction. This is our own way of saying thank you”, shared Undersecretary Emmanuel Leyco of the DSWD.

In order for a family to be qualified to join the search, they must be a Filipino family who is a beneficiary of the Program for at least two years; have good standing in the community with no derogatory records and has not been convicted of any administrative, criminal, civil case or cases involving moral turpitude in the last five years; a family whose income is not derived from gambling, prostitution, child labor, extortion and other similar illegal resources.

The Huwarang Pantawid Pamilya will receive a cash prize of P30,000.00. The first and second runners-up will receive P25,000.00 and 15,000.00, respectively.  The families who did not make it to the final three (3) will receive P10,000.00 each while a consolation prize of P3,000.00 will be given to all the regional winners. This year, a special award will be given to the most innovative family and will receive P5,000.00 cash prize. All the regional winners will also receive plaque of recognition.

Pantawid Pamilya is the country’s version of the conditional cash transfer that invests in the education and health of poor children aged 0-18. Currently there are 4.4 million households who are part of the program.  Pantawid Pamilya is only one of the social protection strategies of the national government implemented by DSWD.