Some good news for poverty-stricken Filipino families. The World Bank announced on Wednesday that its board of directors has authorized the grant of $100 million to serve as additional funding for the country’s conditional cash transfer (CCT) program.
The CCT program, otherwise known as Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino, is a program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development under its the Social Welfare and Development Reform Project endorsed by the World Bank.
Under the program, an estimated 3 million low income families are given subsidies which act as incentives to promote education and good health among children. To be a recipient under the CCT, families are required to keep their children, ages 0-14, in school and have them regularly checked at health stations. Pregnant women are also obliged to receive proper pre and post natal care and their deliveries should be attended by health professionals.
The additional financing that will be released by the World Bank is intended to expand the reach of the Pantawid Pamilya, by adding more recipient families into its roster. It is estimated that an additional 200,000 households will benefit from this supplementary financing.
GMA News reported that the Pantawid Pamilya program has greatly improved the welfare of families and children who have benefited from this, with 98 percent of recipient children enrolled in elementary school, and families spending 34 percent more on health care.
Let’s just hope that the funding reaches those who really need it, and not end up in the pockets of corrupt officials.
