MANILA, Philippines – Two former kids monitored by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) have turned their dreams into realities.
Joan Grace Ewican from Carmen town, Bohol province, has passed the December 2024 Agricultural and Biosystems Engineers Licensure Exam and is now a licensed engineer. Meanwhile, Kerth Jay Alunan of Dapitan City, Zamboanga Del Norte, also passed the 2024 Bar Examination.
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| Photo courtesy: Facebook/Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program |
Both students are proud products of the government’s national program, which provides conditional cash transfers to poor households to help improve their health, nutrition, and education.
DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao shared that the agency takes pride in the success of their former beneficiaries. She said, “We are proud to announce that two former monitored children of 4Ps are now a licensed engineer and a lawyer. We express our pride and recognition for the perseverance and hard work of these individuals.”
Ewican shared in a post of DSWD Region VII how the 4Ps was instrumental to her dream becoming a reality. She stated, “I once dreamt of this moment, wondering if I would get here knowing our family’s financial situation. But God’s providence never failed. Our family became a beneficiary of the DSWD’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, which played a big part in my success.”
Before becoming a licensed engineer, Ewican had been lauded as a role model for 4Ps children and was awarded 4th place in the 2024 National Search for Pantawid Pamilya Exemplary Children.
Meanwhile, Alunan, who graduated from the Jose Rizal Memorial State University in Zamboanga Del Norte, was among the 3,962 2024 Bar Exam passers. Like Ewican, the new lawyer also shared how the program was a big part of his success.
He said, “Dahil sa 4Ps, nakapag-aral ako ng kolehiyo. Nabayaran ko ang aking tuition at miscellaneous fees, nakabili ng mga kinakailangang libro, at nakapagbayad ng renta sa aming boarding house—mga bagay na hindi kayang tustusan ng aking mga magulang dahil sa kanilang kakarampot na kita.”
The 4Ps was institutionalized in 2019 which allows conditional cash grants benefits to poor households amounting to the following: Health Grant of ₱750.00 per month for each household; Education Grant of ₱300.00 per child in elementary, ₱500.00 per child in junior high school and ₱700.00 per child in senior high school, with a maximum of three (3) children per household for 10 months in a school year; and, Rice Subsidy of ₱600.00 per month for active and compliant households.
— Sally, The Summit Express
