Posted on

Parent-Leaders raise their fist as they chant the word “sulong” for empowerment.Three batches of Parent-Leaders (PL) from Set 4 Areas of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development were booked for three consecutive weeks in three hotels of Tacloban City for three-day Roll-out Training on Capability Building.

To recall, these set of parent-leaders were registered last February 2011 during the expansion of Pantawid Pamilya Program, which is technically identified as Set 4 beneficiaries from the program. The said three batches were from the provinces of Northern and Eastern Samar. From Northern Samar, these are the municipalities of Capul, Rosario, Lavezares, San Jose, San Vicente, Biri, Laoang, Victoria, Gamay and San Isidro. While from Eastern Samar, these are the municipalities of General MacArthur, Jipapad, San Policarpo and Arteche.

In all Pantawid Pamilya areas, the beneficiaries identify and choose a parent-leader who will guide them to consistently comply with the conditions of the program. A parent-leader assists and facilitates the members from compliance verification monitoring, updating of profile, putting up of communal garden to organizing of group in attending Family Development Sessions monthly. Each parent-leader has a ratio of 25-30 members.

During the Capability Building Training, these leaders are oriented not just the basic information of the program but as well as having technical inputs or workshops on filling up forms on Compliance Verification System, Beneficiary Updates System and Grievance and Redress System. It is also a venue for them to voice out issues and concerns that arise from their level and for them to hear best practices of other beneficiaries from other barangays and municipalities.

They say that being a parent-leader is a voluntary work and effort. Yet it empowers them to know who they are- through their capabilities in executing their tasks and the confidence they gain.

The trainings were held back to back in La Rica Hotel, Mahattan Inn and Asia Stars Hotel last January 9-19, 2012 with 675 participants divided into three batches.