Social Welfare and Development Acting Secretary Celia Capadocia-Yangco said that the DSWD will continue to pursue anti-poverty programs to achieve the country's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.

According to Acting Secretary Yangco, based on the United Nations Development (UNDP) report, "since the Philippines first resolved to adopt the MDGs, it has made encouraging strides, particularly towards the attainment of targets on eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary education; promoting gender equality and empowerment of women; reducing child mortality; improving maternal health and ensuring environmental sustainability."

Acting Secretary Yangco stated that for DSWD, its programs such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS), Self-Employment Assistance-Kaunlaran (SEA-K), and Food-for-School, among others, continue to be implemented to achieve the MDG Goals.

The 4Ps, the country's conditional cash transfer program, has benefited some 700,000 poor families through monthly cash grants of as much as P1,400 to meet their health, nutrition and education needs. By 2010, 1 million poor families shall receive the cash grants.

The 4Ps has provided health benefits to 39,650 pregnant women who availed pre-and post natal care. It also paved the way for the immunization of 789,446 children aged 0-5.

On education, more than 1 million children aged 6-14 have enrolled in elementary and high school and are maintaining at least 85 percent attendance rate. In addition, 411,993 children aged 3-5 have enrolled in day care or pre-school.

"The figures imply that 4Ps is helping achieve Millennium Development Goals on universal primary education, reducing child mortality and improving maternal health care," Acting Secretary Yangco added.

Further, the DSWD is scaling up its implementation of KALAHI-CIDSS to additional 16 municipalities.   Adding 16 to the original 184 municipalities was a "directive from President Gloria Macapagal-Aroyo during her September 15, 2009 visit to Arakan, North Cotabato. She was really impressed by the project's impact on the improvement of the lives of the poor," the Acting Secretary explained.

The DSWD Regional Offices are currently assessing the poorest municipalities which may qualify as beneficiaries for the expansion of the program.

KALAHI-CIDSS is a flagship project of the government which empowers the people, improves local governance, and alleviates poverty.  From 2003 to 2009, the KALAHI-CIDSS project has funded 5,336 community sub-projects amounting to P5.685 billion benefiting 1,147,723 households in 12 regions.

"KALAHI-CIDSS is moving towards realizing the goal of eradicating poverty, promoting gender equality, empowering women and ensuring environmental sustainability," the DSWD chief explained.

Likewise, some 28,938 families have been extended capital assistance through the SEA-K amounting to P143 million for 2009 alone. The SEA-K enables the poor to have access to credit, promote entrepreneurship, increase understanding on values of honest work, paying debts and social responsibility and increase family income.
The Food-for-School project, on the other hand, provides food subsidy to poor families with children in day care centers through one kilo of rice per day of actual attendance. This is a component of the Accelerated Hunger Mitigation Program.

From 2005-2009, the DSWD served 1.9 million children in day care centers. Food-for-School has helped improve attendance among children from 90 percent in 2006 to 95 percent in 2007, and the levels of malnutrition from 21 percent to 17 percent during the same period.

"Providing solution to poverty may take some time but all of these programs are designed to empower poor Filipino families so they will attain better quality of life," Acting Secretary Yangco concluded. ### (DSWD - Social Marketing Service) February 23, 2010