For their neighbors, the Roble family seems like an average family, working hard at improving their lives. They see a couple deftly managing their business and responsibly sending their children to school. Little did the neighbors know that before the Roble family moved to their decent subdivision in Brgy. Dumlog, Talisay City, they used to live in a dumpsite in Barangay Inayawan, Cebu City. “Puro mga dato among mga silingan. Wala sila kabalo na gikan mi sa basura (My neighbors are ...

As the flagship poverty alleviation program which invests in human development, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program has expanded rapidly from 786,523 households in 2010, when the Aquino administration took the helm in government, to more than 4.4 million eligible households to date. For 2014 alone, the government has poured in more than P48 billion for the cash grants of the beneficiaries. On the other hand, for the first quarter of 2015, the program has been able to provide grants amounting ...

Victor Maglangit, 52, of District 2, Barangay Puntod, Cagayan de Oro City has trouble walking. He struggles to balance his body after a recent stroke that paralyzed his left arm and left leg. After his stroke on June 20, Victor was brought to the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) for medication. During his seven-day admission at NMMC, Victor could not help but worry over his mounting hospital bill. After being discharged from the hospital, Victor immediately asked his wife, Marilyn, ...

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reiterated that the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program is insulated from partisan politics and strongly opposes any act that would use it to advance the political agenda or interest of certain groups or individuals. This came following reports about incidents that occurred during the pay-out activities of cash grants this month. In some regions, the beneficiaries were made to believe that the cash grants they were receiving were bonuses from a politician who ...

While the Philippines has had robust economic growth since 2010, even despite a weak global economy, it has had little progress in reducing income poverty. Recognising that some segments of society are left out in growth processes, the Philippine government has made inclusive growth the cornerstone of its most recent Philippine Development Plan. The inclusive growth strategy includes more public investments in the social sector. In particular, bigger budgets have been given to both education and health. For 2015 alone, ...