Eastern Visayas – After the much-talked about 2010 elections, residents in some towns of Leyte and in the city of Catbalogan were bound to again heat-up the local scene as validation and enrolment to Land Bank of the Philippines of the potential beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) have commenced in Set 3 areas.

It was agreed during the consultation dialogue with the Local Chief Executives (LCEs) of the 37 municipalities and three cities which compose the Set 3 area of implementation that community assemblies on areas with Proxy-Means Test Result will immediately be undertaken right after the May 2010 national and local elections.

The municipalities of Pastrana, Capoocan, Albuera, and Babatngon of the province of Leyte have conducted the 4Ps community assemblies last May 14, 18, 19, and 26 respectively. On the other hand, Catbalogan City, Western Samar undertook the validation and registration of 4Ps beneficiaries last May 20 to 21. Santa Fe and Mayorga meanwhile had a back to back community assembly last May 27.

The mentioned municipalities had a total potential beneficiaries of 500 each, while the city of Catbalogan had a target of 1, 500 beneficiaries. Hence, significant numbers of residents crowd the municipal gymnasiums, schools and barangay halls of those towns.

Community Assemblies were undertaken to register the 4Ps potential beneficiaries, who were determined electronically, validate their household information, enroll the most responsible household member to Land Bank and let them take oath of their should-be unwavering commitment to comply with the conditions set by the program.

The assemblies are good venues to also clear out concerns and questions, regarding the program and its implementation components, as brief orientations on the program are being given by the Municipal Links during such activity. Likewise, complaints on the identified potential beneficiaries are entertained by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office VIII personnel. The given names will be subject for home visit and their household data will checked with the 4Ps database.

During the activity, beneficiaries were required to present legal documents as verifiers of their identity and their household members. Thus, the LCE of Mayorga, Valente Adolfo, was amazed with the bulk of people visiting the Local Civil Registrar Office prior to the scheduled community assembly.

Despite the long process and long hours of waiting for some, the beneficiaries were pictures of hope and joy the moment their enrolment to LBP and registration to the program were done. Everyone was anxious during the validation as large numbers of children has made most mothers forget the birthdates and even the names of their kids.

However, it did not prevent them to successfully enroll in the program. “Tungod hit kadamu hit anak ngan kapobrehan namon ma’am, nangangaalimtan nala nam it mga birthday tam anak (Because of the number of our children, and of our poverty ma’am, we tend to forget the birthdates of our children),” said one beneficiary of Albuera, Leyte, when asked why she could not recall the dates of birth of her six children.

As to date, roughly 4, 500 beneficiaries have registered to the program. Municipal Links and other Regional Project Management staff are now focused to expedite sending the filled –out forms to Central Office and making 4Ps identification cards so that payments be made the soonest possible time.

Yvonne Serrano-