Quezon City – Following the success of the first Family Development Session (FDS) TV aired last May of this year, a second episode will run on November 24 at 2:00 in the afternoon and aired live via the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program’s (4Ps) official Facebook account.

The episode will discuss the FDS module on Masayang Pamilya specifically focusing on the topic Manatiling Positibo! Pagbibigay ng Positibong Direksyon at Papuri developed in coordination with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Parenting for Lifelong Health (PLH) Philippines. This will also coincide with the celebration of the National Children’s Month.

Resource person from the PLH and UNICEF are invited to discuss the module, while a family member-beneficiary of the 4Ps will also be part of the program to share their insights on the topic.

4Ps is a program of the national government implemented thru the DSWD, that invests in the human capital of poor households. It was institutionalized in 2019 by virtue of Republic Act 11310. It has become the national poverty reduction strategy of the government that provides cash grants to improve the health, nutrition, and education aspects of their lives. The program also provides psychosocial and psycho-educational components through the FDS.

4ps beneficiaries are entitled to receive cash subsidies provided that the conditions on health, nutrition and education are followed. This includes sending and keeping their school-aged children in school; pre and post-natal care for mothers; regular and preventive check-ups for children aged 5 and below; deworming for children aged 14 and below; and attendance to the monthly conduct of the FDS.

It can be recalled that in 2020, following the declaration of public health emergency because of the Pandemic caused by COVID-19, the program suspended compliance monitoring of all program conditions, to include attendance to the monthly conduct of the FDS.

Despite of the community quarantines imposed and disallowing mass/ social gatherings, the program sees the importance of continuous learning, thus introducing the FDS in the Time of COVID-19, or the electronic FDS or e-FDS.

The eFDS maximizes the use of Facebook to convey its messages. In some areas, they have also adopted FDS on Air using radio as the means of communication. ###