The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), in partnership with the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), concluded the 2nd Joint Field Visit of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program’s (4Ps) National Advisory Council (NAC) and National Technical Working Group (NTWG) on August 27-30 to select municipalities in the province of Tawi-Tawi to oversee the program implementation.

The 2nd NAC-NTWG Joint Field Visit to the municipalities of Bongao, Sibutu, Simunul, and Panglima Sugala in Tawi-Tawi province highlighted the crucial role of convergence in improving the lives of 4Ps beneficiaries in the areas.

“Laging lumalabas sa discussion yung kahalagahan ng convergence ng programs, convergence of our support at all levels, the same objective in the enhancement of program implementation to ensure improved well-being of Pantawid beneficiaries were achieved in the convergence of our efforts in our programs,”  Undersecretary for National Household Targeting System and 4Ps Vilma B. Cabrera said in her message during the wrap-up meeting session. 

Anchored on the theme, “Sailing to the South: Navigating the Program’s Impact in the Bangsamoro,” the field visit involved extensive consultations with beneficiaries through home visit interviews, focusing on key areas such as education, health, compliance with program conditions, livelihood, and other services provided under the 4Ps program.

“As policy makers, we should be grounded, dapat ramdam na ramdam natin ang talagang nangyayari, ramdam na ramdam natin yung mga sinasabi ng ating households para nandoon yung emosyon, because that’s where we can help our people,” 4Ps National Program Manager and Director Gemma B. Gabuya  emphasized in her opening remarks.  

During the actual field visit, the NAC-NTWG delegates engaged in dialogue with local officials to assess the situation in the municipality, especially the current state of health and school facilities. They also had the opportunity to speak with some of the 4Ps beneficiaries.

“This major activity has provided us some gains and the pound of 4Ps program has assisted our 4Ps beneficiaries in this area, sa Tawi-Tawi, but also to take note of the good practices as well as the challenges that we need to work together on how to address these,” Assistant Secretary for 4Ps Maristes M. Maristela, CESO III highlighted in the field visit’s wrap-up session.

The field visit in Tawi-tawi province also marked a significant step in strengthening the collaborative efforts of DSWD and its partners in ensuring the effective implementation of the 4Ps in BARMM.

“Here in BARMM, when we speak of poverty alleviation programs, let the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, it’s not just poverty reduction to us. To us it’s part of our healing as a nation; to us it’s part of a transitional justice, to us it’s part of our path towards justice— Hindi lang po kapayapaan, kung hindi makatarungang kapayapaan,” BARMM Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) Director General Atty. Mohammed Muktadir Ahmad Estrella.

Director General Estrella also challenged the participants to “work hard so that when we see each other 20 years from now,  a generation after we can look at our grandchildren in their eyes, and tell them I was there in Tawi-Tawi, I was part of the victory to help the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, fully realized its potential as the people and as a community.”

The BARMM official also expressed gratitude to the participating national government agencies for their contribution during the field visit. 

Among the agencies present during the field visit were the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). 

Also joining the activity were the  Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), National Nutrition Council (NNC), Commission on Population and Development (CPD), Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), Social Security System (SSS), and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Unified Student Financial Assistance System (UniFAST), representatives from the Local Government Unit of BARMM, the BARMM regional advisory council, and Save the Children also participated in the visit. 

The DSWD, through its 4Ps National Program Management Office, remains committed to working closely with its partners to address the needs of 4Ps beneficiaries in BARMM and ensure that they have access to the resources and support they need to improve their status and break the cycle of poverty within the region. #