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Secretary Soliman sees for herself how the biometrics system is being operated to validate the beneficiary of PANTAWID PAMILYA. Beside her is Matag-ob Mayor Michael Torrevillas (in brown) and second from her is Governor Jericho "Icot" Petilla (in white). At the back of Governor Petilla is Matt Torres, brother of 4th Congressional District representative of Leyte - Hon. Lucy Torres-Gomez(in black) and his father (in stripes).What drove Secretary Corazon Juliano “Dinky” Soliman of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to Eastern Visayas Region last Friday, September 7, 2012, was to witness a strategy introduced by the Provincial Government of Leyte, to hasten identification of beneficiaries of the PANTAWID PAMILYANG PILIPINO PROGRAM (PANTAWID PAMILYA) during over-the-counter payments of cash grants.

Secretary Soliman became enthusiastic of the biometrics system, that was made as an innovation in validating data of program beneficiaries who were identified through the DSWD’s National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTSPR).   The NHTS-PR is the Department’s data bank and information management system that identifies who and where the poor are, by way of a scientific means.

With her was Leyte Governor Jericho “Icot” Petilla who led the Secretary in the rounds at the Municipal Gymnasium of Matag-ob in Leyte province where the pay-out was made, using now the biometrics system.   Some 1,205 PANTAWID PAMILYA beneficiaries of said municipality `were the first one to experiment the system, with a total of Php 1,501, 500.00 released during that day.

Governor Petilla explained in his talk that the beneficiaries will now use their fingerprint in the machine, and will no longer have to present their identification card. He expressed his full support for the program, emphasizing, “this is for the poor !” The provincial official, however, told the recipients gathered in the venue to make use of the grants – “not for anything else but for health and education.”

Secretary Soliman, who was impressed by the immense backing of the provincial government, announced during the launching program itself, to hire the three scholars of the ICOTP-ICT (Income Creating Opportunities Thru Technology Project) who developed the system for the PANTAWID PAMILYA, is a program of the Provincial Government of Leyte, Department of Education and Local Government Unit which provides free Software Development training for poor but deserving high school students in Leyte, Philippines. Its primary aim is to bridge societal divides through opportunities for gainful income, self-employment and/or competitive employment.