The 4P's: Facing the Challenges of Poverty Alleviation

THE 4Ps:

FACING THE CHALLENGES OF POVERTY ALLEVIATION

Situational Analysis Study on the Conditional Cash Transfer

Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (Pantawid Program) of the DSWD in the

SOCSKSARGEN Area of Region XII

Conducted for CORDAID by Ahmed Harris R. Pangcoga and submitted to

CORDAID Health and Wellbeing Sector

October 2011

Final Report October 2011

Submitted by Ahmed Harris R. Pangcoga Field Study on the Pantawid Program in SOCSKSARGEN [Page 2]

CONTENTS Commonly-Used Abbreviations and Acronyms 3 Acknowledgements 4 Preface 5

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6

I BACKGROUND OF THE FIELD STUDY 10 Introduction 10 Approach and Methodology 11 Objectives 11 Sources and Method of Gathering 11 Output Expected 12

II OVERVIEW OF THE AREA OF COVERAGE 13 Field Study Coverage 13 Respondents of the Field Study 14

III OTHER SOCIAL PROTECTION PROGRAMS IN THE STUDY AREA 16

IV MAIN FINDINGS 20 Regional Updates 20 The Conditionalities 22 Program Benefits 23 Procedures and Mechanics 23 Monitoring and Evaluation 25 Partnerships and Institutional Convergence 29 Partnership with NGOs and CSOs (Public-Private Partnership) 32 Updates on the Convergence 37 Programmatic Convergence – ‘TATSULO” 39 Prospects and Ways Forward 43 Issues and Problems 44 Responses of Pantawid Program 50

V ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS 54

VI ASSESSMENT AND CONCLUSIONS 58

VII RECOMMENDATIONS 59

VIII ANNEXES 63 A. The Area of Coverage 63 B. The National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reductions 70 C. Procedures and Mechanics 75 D. The Proxy Means Test 85 E. The Compliance Verification System (CVS) 86 F. The Beneficiary Updating System (BUS) 89 G. The Grievance and Redress System (GRS) 91



COMMONLY USED ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ADB Asian Development Bank Pantawid Program Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. The flagship poverty alleviation

program of the Philippine Government. BHW Barangay Health Worker. Organizationally a part of the barangay local

government unit, but operationally affiliated to the Department of Health

BUS Beneficiary Updating System CBMS Community-based Management System. A locally driven data

collection system by LGUs. CCT Conditional Cash Transfer CVS Compliance Verification System DepEd Department of Education DILG Department of Interior and Local Government DOH Department of Health DSWD Department of Social Welfare and Development FIES Family Income and Expenditure Survey. A survey in 2006 from which

the 20 poorest provinces are identified. FRAME Family Resource Allocation Management Enhancement. A social

protection program of the General Santos City LGU. GRS Grievance and Redress System HAF Household Assessment Form Kalahi-CIDSS Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated

Delivery of Social Services. An infrastructure development program. LGU Local Government Unit (Provincial-PLGU, Municipal-MLGU, Barangay-

BLGU) MAFMA Mutual Aid Fund for Mortuary Assistance M.L. Municipal Link MOA Memorandum of Agreement NAPC National Poverty Alleviation Commission NGA National Government Agency NGO Non-Government Organization NHTS-PR National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reductioin. The data

management arm of DSWD. NPMO National Project Management Office. A Pantawid Program Department

in DSWD Central Office. NSCB National Statistical Coordination Board ODA On-demand Application Philhealth Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, or PHIC P.L Provincial Link SAE Small Area Estimates. A means of selecting the poorest municipalities. SET-G Socio-Economic Transformation Group. A support system found in

every community in General Santos City, that was formed to facilitate implementation of the FRAME Program

PMT Proxy Means Test



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author is thankful to all the respondents of this study: the beneficiaries, the local government officials and personnel, and the leaders and key representatives of NGO’s for the valuable information, time and insights they have contributed to this study. Profound thanks also goes to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DWSD) Field Office 12 led by its Regional Director, Hon. Zorahayda Taha, and particularly its Deputy Regional Program Manager, Mdm. Monera Lidasan, also Mr. Almanzor Dataya of the TAD, and the personnel involved in the implementation of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program for graciously allowing to be interviewed, as well as for providing all the needed information to complete the study. This study was made possible with support of the Health and Wellbeing Sector of CORDAID. Views and opinions expressed herein are those of the consultant’s and persons interviewed and do not necessarily reflect the views of CORDAID. Ahmed Harris R. Pangcoga Cotabato City, Philippines October, 2011



PREFACE This study stems from the desire of Cordaid to help ensure that more emphasis is given to the proper implementation and improved access of people to cash transfers and/or such other similar social safety net programs in a given country and, thus, help strengthen the overall implementation of these programs. This study is perhaps one of the first – if not the very first – conducted that attempts to provide an analysis of the general situation of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program as it is implemented in the city and three provinces that constitute the SOCSKSARGEN area of Region XII. This study also shows what the outcome and short-term impacts are on the beneficiary families and their communities, as observed during the study. It also enumerates the challenges that have been experienced in the specific communities where the study was conducted. These challenges may be used by DSWD and partner institutions, as well as social development NGOs in further enhancing and strengthening the Pantawid Program. In addition, the findings may point to specific areas for complementation and convergence, as well as areas that need greater attention which NGOs may consider looking into, where they could make the most contribution as partners of DSWD. For the author, who may be considered an “outsider looking in”, the interviews with DSWD respondents has given him the unique perspective of how difficult and challenging conditional cash transfer programs are and in making beneficiaries understand how they could take advantage of the benefits accorded to them. The interviews with the beneficiaries has also given him an insight on how the poorest of the poor in the communities of Mindanao think and react about aspects surrounding social protection and other programs that benefit them. More than anything else, it is the realization that empowerment of the people must continue to be one of the foremost underlying basis for providing social protection and other development interventions to poor families and vulnerable communities.



EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A. Context The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (“Pantawid Program”, or “Pantawid” for short), a conditional cash transfer program for the “poorest-of-the-poor” families in the Philippines, is now officially on its fourth year of implementation as a flagship social protection project of the national government. It is implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). It is aimed at “reducing poverty through investment in human capital. It specifically seeks to help poor households improve their health, nutrition and education particularly of children aged 0-14. The Pantawid Program also helps to fulfill the country’s commitment to meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, namely: 1) Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, 2) Achieve universal primary education, 3) Promote gender equality, 4) Reduce child mortality, and 5) Improve maternal health. Following compliance to certain health and education conditionalities, each beneficiary family receive a health grant of five hundred pesos (P500) per month or a total of six thousand pesos (P6,000.00) per year. Each beneficiary family also receives an education grant of three hundred pesos (P300.00) per month for the ten (10) month school year or a total of three thousand pesos (P3,000.00) in a year, with a maximum of three (3) children per household. Although this initiative was started by the previous administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the present administration of Pres. Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” C. Aquino III has continued the program, believing in its merits. By the end of the term of office of the present administration on 2016, it is envisioned that 4.6 million families will have availed of the benefits of the Pantawid Program. In Mindanao, particularly in Region XII, the Pantawid Program has already reached a total of 137,507 beneficiaries in 55 municipalities comprised by 784 barangays, a good percentage of whom belong to the Moro and Indigenous Peoples residing therein.

B. Purpose of the Study The Catholic Organisation for Relief and Development Aid (Cordaid), through its program on social protection, would like to ensure that there is more emphasis to proper implementation and improved access of people to cash transfers and/or such other similar social safety net programs in a given country where such social protection measures are being implemented. Cordaid has identified the Philippine’s Pantawid Program as a venue for potential engagement and partnership, as it believes that this program could provide new opportunities for families with children. Particularly, Cordaid wants to explore how a social protection program focusing on children in IP and Moro communities can be linked with the cash transfer scheme, or how the Pantawid Program can be linked with other child supporting initiatives coming from the civil society and NGO sector, among others. It, therefore, saw the need to learn more about the



Pantawid Program of DSWD, particularly in the SOCSKSARGEN Sub-Region of Region XII, acquire the relevant information on how it functions as a social protection measure.

C. Methodology and Coverage The study utilized a data generation process that took two forms, namely: Traditional research, or documentation review, from available resource materials, and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with respondents. The two forms aimed to gain a clear and accurate description of the current situation of the Pantawid Program in the target areas and generate insights, suggestions and recommendations on how to help improve the situation, if any. The study observed a sampling system which gathered data from respondents from out of two municipalities each in the three provinces of the SOCSKSARGEN Sub-Region (Sarangani, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat). Between one to three barangays were visited per municipality. Four barangays were visited in General Santos City.

D. Main Findings and Conclusions The study has come out with several noteworthy findings and conclusions. In all the locations visited by this field study, the general feeling of the beneficiary-respondents is that the program has helped to ease the difficulties being experienced by their families. On the overall, the cash grants have lessened the financial load of the family because school and health maintenance costs are now partly assumed by the Pantawid Program grants. While before, their children do not have the appropriate clothing to go to school, now, with the cash grants provided by Pantawid Program, the parents were able to buy appropriate clothing that serve as their uniforms in school. The parents were also able to buy at least one pair of slippers for their children. Many children in the remote villages go to school bare-footed. With the slippers, the soles of their feet are not anymore as vulnerable to injury as before. There also remains a comparatively high out-of-school rate in Moro and IP communities in Mindanao, particularly the study’s coverage area. However with the conditionalities of the Pantawid Program, parents now make it a point that their children go to school regularly. They are provided with a few more notebooks and pencils because of the cash grants. While before, in Tananzang Elementary School specifically, a student uses only two notebooks for all eight (8) subjects, now the student uses one notebook per subject. In Barangay Kolong-kolong, Palimbang, students can now go to school daily faster by sharing the fare costs with other students on board a public tricycle in a “motor pool-like” fashion. Whereas before, they had to walk some distance to go to school and back everyday.



Parents in Wal, Palimbang and in Poblacion, Lake Sebu can now buy medicines when their children get sick, or also buy vitamins so that they do not get sick easily. By and large, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program of the DSWD, as researched in SOCSKSARGEN area specifically, is assessed as successful in terms of being able to provide a safety net or a social protection measure to a great number of poor households. There are, nevertheless, a good number of notable areas in the implementation process where the Pantawid Program that leaves some room for improvement, particularly in 1) the targeting, 2) the releasing, 3) the monitoring and 4) the supply-side aspects.

E. Main Recommendations

1. On Targeting For specific cases interviewed such as Brgy. Wal, Palimbang, and Brgy. San Jose, Gen. Santos City, partner NGOs should initiate a move for an On-Demand Application (ODA) for a re-enumeration of these places in order to correct both inclusion and exclusion errors, as well as complaints of “table surveys” conducted in these areas. The barangay chairman of Wal, Palimbang strongly believes that there are over a hundred legitimate poor in his barangay who were not counted because they were out working the farms at the time the enumerators came. In San Jose, the barangay hall employees themselves claim that many households in the steep hills located at the peripheries of the barangay were not reached by the enumerators because of accessibility problems. This was affirmed by one of the enumerators assigned to Bgy. San Jose, though she cited time constraint as the reason for her team to enumerate the hard-to-reach houses there.

2. On Releasing It is recommended that there should be increased access of Pantawid Program beneficiaries to the modes of releasing cash grants, particularly in the case of Palimbang, Lutayan and other municipalities with similar situations. Whether it is Landbank and DSWD, or NGOs operating in remote communities, there should be initiative taken in facilitating the establishment of ATM facilities in these areas. An ATM facility within Palimbang, or within Lutayan would drastically decrease the already exhorbitant expenses made in traveling to General Santos City just to claim cash grants. Since it is the Landbank who is authorized to identify, negotiate, accredit, and enter into separate agreement with qualified conduits for the distribution of cash grants, interested NGOs with the capacity to do so should apply for accreditation as a conduit for the distribution of Pantawid cash grants in remote areas. Moreover, they could even make public this type of arrangement so that NGOs and other agencies that are unfamiliar with it, but have the capacity to facilitate it, can express interest and apply.



3. Confidence Building Another area of intervention that partner NGOs and DSWD can look into is in building the confidence of beneficiaries under the Program. That despite certain problems that have occurred along the way, the positives far outweigh the negatives. The mechanics of compliance and grievance should be given to beneficiaries on a continuous, more regular and broader basis. This will help mitigate the generally fatalistic attitude of poor families, and encourage a sense of assertiveness upon beneficiaries DSWD Municipal Links, together with partner NGOs of DSWD should ensure that the details on the “Sanctions for Non-Compliance of Program Conditionalities” are very familiar to them. Beneficiaries should also be fully informed and completely familiar about these sanctions. Selective or a lack of understanding and familiarity of the details of these sanctions will definitely lead to misunderstandings, misplaced dissatisfaction, discouragement to further comply, cooperate and participate in the program, and even disobedience on the part of the beneficiary. The latter may also hasten their termination from the program without due process. To mitigate continuation of this situation, clear and full conveyance of this information should be ensured.

4. Program Support Should NGOs decide to support the implementation of Pantawid Program, it is recommended that they use the Public-Private Partnership framework provided by DSWD as guide in attuning their activities to the Pantawid Program and even to the TATSULO Convergence Program (Pantawid Program, Kalahi-CIDSS and SEA-K). NGOs would need to attune their programmatic orientation to that of the core social protection programs of DSWD in order to develop more meaningful complementation of interventions on the ground. In addition, NGOs can also complement the role of LGUs in ensuring sufficiency in the supply side.

5. Network Building It would be beneficial for NGOs having social protection programs to organize themselves into a fixed network and identify a core set of focuses or “convergence areas” where all members of this network could agree to work together or complement one another on a grand, replicable and sustainable scale. This network could have as its core sectoral focus children, women and elders from IP and Moro communities, in consideration of the cultural and ethnic composition of the people living in the SOCSKSARGEN area. It could also design their primary programmatic thrusts to be attuned to the Pantawid Program of DSWD and collectively work on the enumerated areas of possible intervention presented in the previous page to complement the Pantawid Program.



I. BACKGROUND OF THE FIELD STUDY

A. Introduction

It has been established that the CORDAID thrust for the coming years is on building what is called “Communities of Change” (COC’s), where working together for a change in society for the most marginalized sectors is stressed, as well as involving various stakeholders in the process. In relation to its Social Protection (SP) Program, recent realities have made it essential for CORDAID to ensure that there is more emphasis to proper implementation and improved access of people to cash transfers and/or such other similar social safety net programs in a given country. In the Philippines, CORDAID would like to explore how a social protection program focusing on children in IP and Moro communities can be linked with the cash transfer scheme. CORDAID has identified the Philippine Government’s Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program as a venue for potential engagement and partnership, as it believes that this program could provide new opportunities for families with children. CORDAID is interested in exploring the possibility of working together with national government agencies and non-government actors in this social protection initiative. At present, the “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program” or Pantawid Program, a Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program, is the flagship anti-poverty initiative of the Philippine Government towards attaining the Millenium Development Goals by 2015. It is implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). By the end of the term of office of the present administration on 2016, it is envisioned that 4.6 million families will have availed of the benefits of this program. Selected families will receive PhP 500 per month and there is an additional education grant for max 3 children of PhP 300 per month (10 months per year). Furthermore families need to join health sessions (check ups for children under 14, pre/post natal care for women) and education (85% school attendance) However, to enrich present information and knowledge about the Pantawid Program of DSWD, particularly in the SOCSKSARGEN Sub-Region of Region XII, CORDAID needed to acquire the relevant information on the functioning of this program and how it can be linked with other child supporting initiatives, coming also from the NGO sector. There was a need, therefore, for a field study that would cull out from the ground and acquire the needed information that would aid CORDAID in determining the next steps forward.



B. Approach and Methodology The data generation process took two (2) forms, namely: Traditional research from available resource materials, and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs). The two approaches aimed to: 1. Gain a clear and accurate description of the current situation of the Pantawid Program in the

target areas. 2. Identify what resources and what obstacles or gaps are present in the communities that

facilitated their present situation. 3. Gather information and partial referrals about other NGOs working with children in Moro

and/or IP communities in SOCSKSARGEN region. 4. Generate insights, suggestions and recommendations on how to improve the current

situation. Traditional research was conducted through actual visits to relevant agencies, offices and institutions that are directly or involved in one way or another with the Pantawid Program within the study’s area of coverage.

C. Objective(s) The field study aimed to come up with the following:

1. A review of the systems and mechanisms currently utilized in implementing the

Pantawid Program in the SOCSKSARGEN Sub-Region. 2. Pertinent information, insights, issues and concerns, lessons and recommendations

gathered from various key representatives and of beneficiaries from the SOCSKSARGEN Sub-Region about the current situation of the Pantawid Program.

3. An inventory of NGO’s working with children in Moro and/or IP communities in SOCSKSARGEN region.

4. A prepared and packaged comprehensive report that contains findings, analysis and recommendations about the current situation of the Pantawid Program in the SOCSKSARGEN Sub-Region, with an attached inventory of NGO’s working with children in Moro and/or IP communities in SOCSKSARGEN region.

D. Sources and Method of Data Gathering:

The primary sources of information for this study were DSWD personnel involved in the implementation of the Pantawid Program, key representatives of partner agencies of the Pantawid Program, and beneficiaries of the Program in the study’s area of coverage.

KII participants shall be one of the following: 1. Employees of the DSWD directly involved in the implementation of the Pantawid Program 2. Representatives of Partner Institutions (gov’t or NGO) directly involved in the implementation

of the Pantawid Program



3. Beneficiaries of the Pantawid Program 4. Other NGOs working in the region with program focusing on Moro/IPs families and children

Secondary sources of information for this study were the statistical or related literature or resource materials that are found and are available in DSWD or with partner institutions involved in implementing the Pantawid Program. The study utilized participatory approaches in generating inputs, comments and suggestions from respondents in capturing relevant data that would contribute to acquiring a clear and accurate description of the current situation of the Pantawid Program in the SOCSKSARGEN Sub-Region.

E. Output Expected

The following are the expected outputs:

1. Pertinent information and data culled out from currently published and circulating reference materials and other related literature about the Pantawid Program.

2. Relevant data is gathered from selected respondents through KIIs about the current situation of the Pantawid Program in the study’s area of coverage.

3. Data is consolidated, processed, and analyzed.

4. Comprehensive report about the current situation of Pantawid Program in the study’s area of coverage is submitted and recommendations for improved functioning and involvement of civil society.

5. An inventory of NGOs working with children in Moro and/or IP communities in SOCSKSARGEN region is compiled and packaged.

6. Recommendations to CORDAID in relation to NGO have to engage with government, within in the scope of Communities of Change.



II. OVERVIEW OF THE AREA OF COVERAGE The area of coverage of the study is the provinces of Sarangani, South Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat, and the City of General Santos. Respondents from one to three barangays were engaged per municipality. Two municipalities per province were visited in the study. Four barangays were visited in General Santos City.

A. Field Study Coverage (Matrix) The following are the specific areas where this field study was conducted: PROVINCE CITY /

MUNICIPALITY NUMBER OF Pantawid Program BENEFICIARIES

BARANGAY BENEFICIARIES IN BARANGAY

BY SET EXPANSION

Sarangani Alabel 435 Poblacion 435 Set 2 Maasim 2,357 Pananag 148 Set 1 South Cotabato

Gen. Santos City 8,556 Fatima 475 Set 3 Tambler 629 Set 3 San Jose 526 Set 3 Banga 3,773 Reyes 200+ Set 4 Lake Sebu 4,381 Poblacion 400+ Set 2 Sultan Kudarat

Palimbang 6,738 Wal 136 Set 3 Kanipaan 207 Set 3 Kolong-

Kolong 150+ Set 3

Lutayan 4,326 Tananzang 118 Set 4



A. Respondents of the Field Study From Partner Institutions Fourteen (14) respondents who were interviewed represented partner institutions from provincial and city local government units, elementary schools, and NGOs.

NAME POSITION AGENCY / OFFICE LOCATION 1. Mrs. Lizette San Juan-Lopez

Provincial Social Welfare Officer

Sarangani Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO)

Provincial Capitol Bldg., Alabel, Sarangani

2. Mr. Rene Punzalan In-Charge of Local Conditional Cash Transfer (LCCT) Program

Sarangani Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO)

Provincial Capitol Bldg., Alabel, Sarangani

3. Hon. Hasim Benito Barangay Chairman BLGU of Pananag, Maasim Brgy. Pananag, Maasim, Sarangani

4. Mr. Kilroy Luntao Secretary to Hon. Erwin Luntao, Board Member

Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of South Cotabato

Koronadal City, South Cotabato

5. Mr. Daniel Losañes Teacher in Charge Tananzang Elementary School

Brgy. Tananzang, Lutayan, Sultan Kudarat

6. Hon. Rene Dalingga Barangay Chairman BLGU of Tananzang, Lutayan

Brgy. Tananzang, Lutayan, Sultan Kudarat

7. Mrs. Precy Lamigo Head Teacher III Luhib Elementary School Brgy. Luhib, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato

8. Hon. Alfredo Belgica Barangay Chairman BLGU of San Jose, Gen. Santos City

Brgy. San Jose, Gen. Santos City

9. Mrs. Nelida Pereira Department Head South Cotabato Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO)

Koronadal City, South Cotabato

10. Hon. Banengen Ali Barangay Chairman BLGU of Wal, Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat

Brgy. Wal, Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat (SK)

11. Hon. Hasim Kusain Barangay Treasurer BLGU of Wal, Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat

Brgy. Wal, Palimbang, SK

12. Mr. Abdul Hain Barangay Lupon

BLGU of Wal, Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat

Brgy. Wal, Palimbang, SK

13. Richel Ventura Staff PASALI Phils. Foundation Brgy. Fatima, Gen. Santos City

14. Bong Pepito Program Officer RD Foundation Brgy. Calumpang, Gen. Santos City



Pantawid Program Beneficiaries A total of twenty-six (26) respondents who were interviewed were the Program beneficiaries themselves. NAME ROLE IN COMMUNITY ETHNICITY LOCATION

General Santos City 1. Mrs. Rocaya

Amando Pantawid Program Parent Leader /

Maguindanaon Brgy. Tambler

2. Mrs. Maira Alangan Member, Women’s Group Maguindanaon Brgy. Tambler 3. Jinky A. Domingo Member, Women’s Group Cebuano Brgy. Fatima 4. Ruby J. Orca Member, Women’s Group

/ FRAME Secretary Cebuano Brgy. Fatima

5. Anafe Ganados Member, Women’s Group B’laan Brgy. Fatima 6. Juliet Mabologan Pantawid Program

Parent-Leader Teduray Brgy. San Jose

7. Linda Adlao Member, Women’s Group B’laan Brgy. San Jose 8. Lydia Sukin Member, Women’s Group T’Boli Brgy. San Jose Sultan Kudarat 9. Amelia Cespon Member, Women’s Group Manobo Brgy. Kanipaan,

Palimbang 10. Jocelyn Ansa Member, Women’s Group Manobo 11. Muslima Guinaid Pantawid Program Parent

Leader Maguindanaon Brgy. Wal, Palimbang

12. Esmael Sinsuat Maguindanaon 13. Rocaya Danding Maguindanaon Brgy. Kolong-kolong,

Palimbang 14. Hja. Amina Piang Maguindanaon 15. Margie P. Ngot T’Boli Brgy. Tananzang,

Lutayan 16. Divina Dit T’Boli 17. Lolita Etao T’Boli South Cotabato 18. Zenaida B. Tuhitum Member, IP Women T’Boli Brgy. Pob., Lake Sebu 19. Zenaida S. Tuhitum1 Member, IP Women T’Boli Brgy. Pob., Lake Sebu 20. Marlita K. Gemana Member, IP Women T’Boli Brgy. Pob., Lake Sebu 21. Cecilia T. Felomen T’Boli Brgy. Pob., Lake Sebu 22. Rosela I. Bajadon T’Boli Brgy. Pob., Lake Sebu 23. Lorna Perra T’Boli Brgy. Reyes, Banga Sarangani 24. Nilda Laya B’laan Brgy. Sta Cruz, Alabel 25. Jane Reyes Cebuano Brgy. Sta Cruz, Alabel 26. Juditha Serentas B’laan Brgy. Sta Cruz, Alabel

1 Daughter-in-Law of Zenaida B. Tuhitum



DSWD Personnel Ten (10) respondents who were interviewed were DSWD regional office personnel who were assigned in either the regional office itself, or at the municipal field areas.

NAME DSWD DESIGNATION ETHNICITY ASSIGNMENT

1. Mrs. Monera Lidasan Regional Program Manager, Pantawid Program

Maguindanaon Koronadal City

2. Mr. Ashraf Dirampatan

Regional Field Coordinator for Region XII, NHTS-PR

Maranao Koronadal City

3. Grace Apostol City Link – Brgys. Fatima and San Jose

Ilonggo Gen. Santos City

4. Hasmiah Cosain Municipal Link Maranao Lutayan 5. Jennelyn Libona Municipal Link Ilonggo Lutayan 6. Junaida Indar Municipal Link Maranao Lutayan 7. Marianita Magno Municipal Link Ilonggo Lutayan 8. Helen Bergante Enumerator B’laan Gen. Santos City 9. Emily Alapan Coordination and

Partnership – FO12 Cebuano Koronadal City

10. Cristine Aradilles GRS Focal Person – FO12

Cebuano Koronadal City



III. OTHER SOCIAL PROTECTION PROGRAMS IN THE AREA The following social protection programs have been identified by the respondents of this field study as having been implemented, or are still being implemented in their respective communities:2

1. Family Resource Allocation Management Enhancement (FRAME) Savers Movement – a poverty alleviation strategy for indigent families which was developed exclusively by the local government of General Santos City which officially started on May 16, 2003. FRAME Savers Movement is geared towards purposive savings and security of life. FRAME was designed to empower the participants or members of these SET-Gs to uplift their socio-economic conditions. Members of the movement are organized into what are called of the Socio-Economic Transformation Groups (SET - Gs) at the community level. The SET-G comprises of 30 members or more with a leader and a treasurer who collects the monthly P20.00 mortuary contribution and voluntary contributions on education and livelihood, and even travel by some members who choose to avail of these benefits. Each member pays P50.00 which covers expenses for an identification card - P 25.00, passbook - P20.00 and membership form - P 5.00. The program also involves the inculcation of transformational values which include spiritual development, social and family responsibilities that will entail commitment, industry and self - reliance which are taught in the weekly sessions conducted by community leaders. They are encouraged to save for their future needs like education, livelihood or housing needs; and in case, they are faced with inevitable circumstances like sickness or death. Currently, there are a total of 839 leaders and 839 treasurers, according to Osorio who also said that the project is supervised by the Project Management Group composed of representatives from the organization, City Mayor's Office, DILG, CSWDO and the Share an Opportunity (SAO), a non-government organization. In the 2010 FRAME report, 208 benefited from the Mutual Aid Fund for Mortuary Assistance (MAFMA) for which the Savers Movement released P 1,940,731.00 in 2010. To show how the movement has helped the members, some 3,700 out of the 17,380 family members were sponsored by the FRAME Savers Movement with Philhealth. The total sponsorship was to the amount of P 1,110,000.00. 208 members benefited from the Mutual Aid Fund for Mortuary Assistance (MAFMA), for which the Savers Movement released P 1,940,731.00 in 2010.

2 This list does not include the other core social protection programs of DSWD, Kalahi-CIDSS and SEA-K. For a detailed explanation of these two programs, please refer to their entries on PROGRAMMATIC CONVERGENCE.



For its part, the city government extended P 401,000.00 educational assistance to 368 children of FRAME members in 2010, the same report stated. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the City Economic Management and Cooperative Development Office (CEMCDO) conducted livelihood skills trainings on soap-making, veggie noodles-making, massage therapy, moringa and food processing, hair dressing, perfume-making, product labeling, packaging and costing to five hundred (500) FRAME members. (General Santos City)

2. Local Conditional Cash Transfer Project (LCCT) – a poverty alleviation project of the provincial government of Sarangani. The province ranked 18 as the poorest province in the country. In response, the provincial government has given special focus on poverty alleviation and equity promotion by enhancing the capability and capacity of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable sector through the implementation and delivery of basic social services through this project, which is also in support of Project 1021, an integrated development plan of the provincial government. The project constitutes major institutional reforms towards strengthening poverty program administration and implementation, and eventually develops inclusive and coordinated social policy. The LCCT (short term poverty alleviation) initially provides conditional cash assistance amounting to PHP500.00 per month to extremely poor families in 4 disparately barangays of Alabel (Paraiso, Datal Anggas, Domolok, and Alegria) to improve their socio-economic condition and to become self-reliant families within six (6) months of implemention. In coordination with partner stakeholders, convergence projects will be provided to the 4 disparate barangays that will include livelihood projects, support to education, health and nutrition among others based on unmet needs. Beneficiaries of this project will also be mobilized as community development volunteers that would eventually contribute to sustain development in their respective communities. The municipality of Alabel was chosen as the only beneficiary of this project because all the other six (6) municipalities of the province are covered universally by the Pantawid Program. A total of 1,800 poor families with the most number of unmet needs from the 4 disparate barangays in Alabel are identified using the 2008 CBMS Result. This project also complements the Pantawid Program. And like the Pantawid Program, beneficiaries are obliged to comply with the following set of conditions as applicable: a. Pregnant women must get pre and post-natal care, and must have a facility-based

delivery to be attended during childbirth by skilled/trained health professionals/workers;

b. Parents or guardians must attend responsible parenthood session, women effectiveness modular session, mother’s class, parent effectiveness seminars and enhanced re-affirmation of paternal abilities trainings

c. Children 0-5 years old must receive health check ups and vaccines d. Children 3-5 attending day care or pre-school classes/sessions



e. Children 6-16 years old must be enrolled in elementary or high school, and regularly attend their classes

f. Parents, particularly the father and other adult members of the family shall undertake or participate in community development projects that will uplift their socio-economic status

g. Households must have sanitary toilet within 3 months from the start of benefit payment.

Unlike the FRAME of General Santos City, which overlaps with the Pantawid Program, an agreement has been made between the provincial government and DSWD that the two programs will not overlap in terms of areas covered and beneficiaries served.

3. Street Urban Working Children Program (SUWCP) – a program spearheaded by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) that addresses the growing problem of street and urban working children by providing services in 25 cities around the Philippines through Local Government Units in partnership with non-government organizations (NGOs) and the. It is a back to school program, which provides free school supplies and fees to school returnees, as well as the provision of a few kilograms of rice. (General Santos City only)

4. Balik Tulunghaan (Back to School) – an educational assistance program sponsored by the local government of General Santos City and implemented by barangay local government units for out-of-school youth and out-of-school children to increase access to public eduation. It facilitates the provision of school supplies and school miscellaneous fees and PTCA fees. 1,235 children benefitted from this program in 2009. (General Santos City only)

5. Tulong Nyo Kinabukasan Ko (Your Help, My Future) Program – scholarship program initiated by PASALI Philippines Foundation, Inc. (PPF), covering the barangays of Fatima, Tambler and San Jose. This program provided for the supply of notebooks, and school supplies and sponsorship of school miscellaneous fees. This program currently covers seventy (70) student-beneficiaries. (Tambler, San Jose, Fatima)

6. Barangay Scholar – scholarship program of PASALI Philippines Foundation, Inc. which currently has 15 elementary, 15 secondary and 2 college student-beneficiaries or mixed ethnicities. (Tambler, San Jose, Fatima)

7. Cash for Work – Another DSWD safety net program, but funding is coursed through the local municipal government. This program contracts the adult males of poor households to perform eleven (11) days of community service at a rate of about PHP 180.00 per day. (Wal, Palimbang; Tananzang, Lutayan, Kolong-kolong, Palimbang)



V. MAIN FINDINGS: THE PANTAWID PAMILYANG PILIPINO PROGRAM IN REGION XII The Pantawid Program in Region XII has a coverage that includes four (4) provinces, namely: Sarangani, North cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and South Cotabato. On a per municipality/city basis, its coverage includes thirty (32) municipalities and two (2) cities, namely: malapatan, Lake Sebu, Kiamba, Banisilan, General Santos City, Maasim, T’boli, Maitum, antipas, Bagumbayan, Senator Ninoy Aquino, Alabel, Matalam, Columbio, Glan, Carmen, Kalamansig, Malungon, Aleosan, Banga, Arakana, Pigkawayan, Esperanza, Magpet, alameda, Lutayan, President Roxas, Lambayong, Cotabato City, President Quirino, Pikit, and Lebak. As of August 1, 2011, Pantawid Program beneficiaries in Region 12 total 138,637, of whom 74,472 have received cash grants. This is in light of the fact that beneficiaries of four (4) municipalities have yet to receive their first cash grant releases, while others have fallen under the issues surrounding compliance to program conditionalities.

A. Regional Updates and Accomplishments3 The following are the reported accomplishments of the DSWD Field Office of Region XII for the Pantawid Program:

1. Translated program conditions into local dialect for better and easy understanding of beneficiaries.

2. Installed the Grievance Redress System (GRS) in municipalities / provinces for transparent program operation

3. Lessened inclusion errors (beneficiaries not illegible in the program) through meetings (MAC/ABC meeting) with local officials.

4. Gained support from UNICEF. The international body provides books and finances trainings of Pantawid Program workers to develop their skills.

5. Merging DSWD’s three prime social protection programs: Pantawid Program, KALAHI-CIDSS and SEA-K, to boost government efforts in uplifting lives of poor families in the Region.

6. Enrollment rates in public schools increase, as well as mothers undergoing medical check ups and pre-natal examinations.

As of July 2011, a total of PHP 676,001,720 has been released since 2008 up to the present (excluding the scheduled August batch of releases).

3 Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, Fastfacts, Region 12 in Focus (a brochure)



These data can be presented as such: PROVINCE MUNICIPALITY / CITY BENEFICIARIES Sarangani Province Alabel* 435 Malapatan 3,851 Maasim* 2,357 Kiamba 3,507 Malungon 6,246 Glan 6,815 Maitum 2,080 Provincial sub-total (Total #: 7) 25,291 South Cotabato General Santos City4* 8,556 Lake Sebu* 4,381 T’boli* 5,137 Banga* 3,773 Provincial sub-total (Total #: 4) 21,847 Sultan Kudarat Senator Ninoy Aquino 2,981 Palimbang* 6,738 Bagumbayan 3,008 Columbio 1,970 Esperanza 2,604 Kalamansig 2,512 Lambayong 3,267 Lutayan* 4,326 Lebak 5,805 President Quirino 1,756 Provincial sub-total (Total #: 10) 34,967 SOCSKSARGEN area sub-total 82,105 North Cotabato Cotabato City5 10,820 Magpet 2,843 Alamada 3,766 Aleosan 2,911 Antipas 948 Arakan 3,313 Banisilan 2,724 Carmen 5,371 Matalam 4,285 Pigcawayan 3,508 Pikit 10,712 President Roxas 2,619 Tulunan 2,712 Provincial sub-total (Total #: 13) 56,532 REGION XII GRAND TOTAL 138,637

4 Treated by DSWD and Pantawid Program as part of South Cotabato Province * Locations where interviews with respondents of field study were conducted 5 Treated by DSWD and Pantawid Program as part of North Cotabato (aka Cotabato Province)



B. The Conditionalities The Pantawid Program conditionalities are also called “Co-responsibilities of Household Beneficiaries”. It covers two areas, namely, 1) health and nutrition, and 2) education. The conditionalities are affirmed by the respondent-beneficiaries and local partner-institutions of the Program. Health and Nutrition

1. For Pregnant Household Member a. Visit their local health center to avail of pre- and post-natal care (monthly for

pre-natal) b. Avail of appropriate delivery services by a skilled health professional c. Avail at least one post-natal care within 6 weeks after childbirth

2. For Children 0-5 Years Old a. Visit the health center to avail immunization b. Have monthly weight monitoring and nutrition counseling for children aged 0-2

years old c. Have quarterly weight monitoring for 25 to 73 weeks old d. Have management of childhood diseases for sick children

3. For Children 6-14 Years Old a. Must receive deworming pills twice a year

Education

1. Children 3 to 5 years old a. Enrolled in day care or pre-school program and maintain a class attendance rate

of at least 85% per month. 2. Children 6 to 14 years old

a. Enrolled in elementary and secondary school and maintain a class attendance rate of at least 85% per month.

Family Development Session (FDS)

1. Parents or Guardians a. Attend family development sessions at least once a month b. Ensure attendance in Responsible Parenthood Sessions and Family Counseling

Sessions c. Participate in community activities, promote and strengthen the implementation

of Pantawid Program



C. Program Benefits The program benefits are as follows:

1. Health and Nutrition Grant – P6,000.00 per year or P500.00 per month per household. 2. Education – P3,000.00 per year or P300.00 per month per child for 10 months a year, to

a maximum of 3 children per household. A household with three qualified children receives a subsidy of P1,400.00 per month during the school year or P15,000.00 annually as long as they comply with the conditionalities.

D. Procedures and Mechanics6 Targeting7 According to respondent-beneficiaries of the Pantawid Program, their households were enumerated between 2008 and 2009. They were not told by the enumerators where the household information they were gathering was going to be used. They were only made known that it was for the identification of potential beneficiaries to the Pantawid Program during the day of initial community assembly itself. At the community level, respondents narrated that enumerators of the DSWD determined “poorest of the poor” families by conducting ocular inspection of the houses and what furniture and appliance it has (if any), inquiry on the income of the family, and on the number of children in the family. For all 4P beneficiaries interviewed, they only knew that the previous survey was used for the Pantawid Program when they were called to register and be validated at the barangay hall on January 24, 2011. Organizing of Initial Community Assembly (Validation and Registration Day) According to respondents of this field study, the Initial Community Assembly was held in the following barangays with their corresponding dates:

4P Area Date of 1st Community Assembly Brgy. Wal, Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat October 27, 2010 Brgy. Kanipaan, Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat November 5, 2010 Brgy. Kolong-Kolong, Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat November 5, 2010 Brgy. Poblacion, Alabel, Sarangani March 9, 2010 Brgy. Pananag, Maasim, Sarangani December 22, 2008 Brgy. Poblacion, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato July 16, 2009 Brgy. Reyes, Banga, South Cotabato May 2011 Brgy. Tananzang, Lutayan, Sultan Kudarat February 21, 2011; March 2011 extension Brgy. Fatima, General Santos City January 21, 2011 6 Please refer to Annex “C” for the full text on Procedures and Mechanics of the Pantawid Program. 7 Please refer to Annex “B” for a detailed overview of the National Household Targeting System on Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR).



Brgy. Tambler, General Santos City January 24, 2011 Brgy. San Jose, Gen. Santos City January 20, 2011 Orientation on the Program and Conditionalities According to respondents in this field study, aside from the official conditionalities, there is one additional conditionality given to beneficiaries, and it is verbally set forth by 4P personnel during the community assemblies:

1. To stop gambling, smoking and all other vices and undesirable activities Conceptually, the cash transfer is coursed through the most responsible adult person (usually the mother) in the household via credit to electronic card banking system particularly through the Land Bank Cash Card program, or other delivery mode most feasible in areas where Land bank and its network banks are not available. Releasing / Disbursement of Cash Grants For some locations, releasing is already through Land Bank Cash Cards, but for others, releasing is still done by payroll. If by payroll, four days prior to releasing, the Municipal Link goes to the assigned barangays and notifies the beneficiaries if they are to receive a grant for that period and how much. After signing the payroll, the beneficiary goes to the nearest designated land bank disbursing branch office to claim his/her acknowledgement receipt (AR, as it is commonly referred to by beneficiaries), which he/she turns over to the Landbank disbursing teller upon receipt of his/her grant. For respondent-beneficiaries in Barangay Poblacion, Lake Sebu (South Cotabato) and Barangay Pananag, Maasim (Sarangani), cash grants are already released through the Land Bank Cash Card. For respondents of Barangays Fatima, Tambler, and San Jose of General Santos City, of Barangay Poblacion, Alabel (Sarangani), of Barangays Wal, Kanipaan and Kolong-Kolong of Palimbang (Sultan Kudarat), and Barangay Tananzang, Lutayan (Sultan Kudarat), they still use the mode of payrolls. Most of these barangays will be receiving their cash cards on August 5, 2011. Monitoring and Verification of Compliance Those who will also be caught violating the unofficial conditionalities, especially right after the scheduled cash grant releases, will be candidate for delisting as a beneficiary. As explained by respondents, including this conditionality to the set of official conditions is an added insurance that the cash grant is going to be utilized according to its stated purposes. According to them, many people engage in petty gambling, smoking and other undesirable vices to pass the time. The tendency for them to use the cash grants in these vices is highly probable, unless a clear deterrent is put in place.



Regular Conduct of Community Assemblies Regular Community Assemblies and Family Development Sessions (FDS) are one and the same. According to respondents (beneficiaries and DSWD personnel in the field), particularly those in barangays with a total number of active 4P beneficiaries that is over five hundred (500) this activity is done only once a month. An assembly’s given topic (based on the eight modules used) usually spans from half a day to a whole day. A Pantawid Program personnel8 usually has a load of two barangays or about 1,000 households to monitor. Excluding weekends, a Pantawid Program personnel can feasibly reach out to all assemblies only once a month.

E. Monitoring and Evaluation (The Internal Monitoring System) Monitoring is conducted to assess the household grantees' ability to follow or comply with the conditionalities both for health and education. Monitoring is conducted at the local government unit level to determine the availability of the supply side on health and education. Appropriate Monitoring Tools are used in monitoring the compliance to program conditionalities and supply side to ensure that basic sectoral services are provided to help the target beneficiaries meet the conditionalities particularly on health and education. The Advisory Committee at the National, Regional and Municipal level have the main functions of overseeing the overall implementation of the program in their respective levels and undertake monitoring visits to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the program and provide appropriate recommendations in strengthening program implementation. An Independent Monitoring and Advisory Committee likewise is created at all levels to function as independent monitor of the program. This is a group of imminent personalities meeting regularly to discuss issues and concerns, provide inputs and recommend actions to further improve program implementation. Program impact can only be measured by doing evaluation on program policies and implementation. For Pantawid Program, evaluation is done by an outside group to ensure objectivity. The PMO and the field offices provide all the necessary support to the evaluating team at all levels of evaluation processes. Evaluation is necessary in all social development programs as it defines the effectiveness of policies set forth, the mechanisms installed and the implementation procedures with the aim of improving the program. The Three Systems9 Pantawid Pamilya has developed three systems to organize its implementation, address issues systematically and effectively ensure that the program objectives are being met. These systems are known as 1) Beneficiary Update System, 2) Compliance Verification System, 3) and Grievance Redress System.

8 Officially known as the Municipal Link, more popularly known by its acronym, the “M.L.”. 9 Please refer to Annexes “F” to “G” for more information about the Three Systems



Beneficiary Update System (BUS) The Beneficiary Update System (BUS) seeks to get information that has bearing on cash payments and continued eligibility of household beneficiaries. There are Pantawid Program implementers/field workers including Municipal Links, LGU Links and regional focal persons on health and education who are trained on the three systems. The BUS basically gathers, validates, and records the changes that have occurred in the status of the grantee. Compliance Verification System (CVS) The Compliance Verification System (CVS) is the mechanism used to check compliance of household beneficiaries on conditionalities on health, education and parenting/responsible parenthood as basis for payment of grants. Grievance Redress System (GRS) Lastly, the Grievance Redress System (GRS) is an instrument used for facilitating due process in resolving complaints and grievances of household beneficiaries and the community. It ensures accountability, transparency and responsibility in program implementation. Supply-side assessments for health and education The NHTS-PR database will store information from supply-side assessments done at the start of Pantawid Program implementation in each municipality, and track progress on compliance with commitments made by each municipality in their respective MOAs. Actual monitoring in the field is done by the Municipal Links.



ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AND PERSONNEL INVOLVED

(The 4Ps Organizational Structure)10 The Municipal / City Link and the Parent Leader Direct Monitoring of the implementation of the Pantawid Program on a per barangay basis is performed by the Municipal / City Link and the Parent Leader. On average, a municipal link is responsible for about 1,000 beneficiary households. This may translate to two barangays at least and four or even five barangays at most, depending on the number of beneficiary household in a given barangay. The Municipal Link Before a person can be a municipal link, he/she must be a bachelor's degree holder in Social Work or any allied/related fields

10 Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, Prospects for Success, Scale-up and Sustainability, Asec Parisya Hashim-Tardji, 2010



The Municipal Link’s specific tasks and functions are:11

1. Provide orientation to household beneficiaries and key stakeholders – household beneficiaries, parent leaders and partner agencies about Pantawid Program

2. Coordinate with local authorities for all the logistical processes needed for the posting of beneficiary lists in public places, validation of information, signing oath of commitment, Land Bank Forms and ID preparation for the conduct of community assembly / registration of beneficiaries

3. Organize the selection of parent leaders within the parameters given by the program, i.e. 1 parent leader to every 25 household beneficiaries

4. Plan and organize the provision of family development sessions for beneficiaries according to the prescribed modules by the NPMO

5. Provide orientation and training to the parents leaders and LGU links at the municipality/city level on the conduct of family development sessions, use of update forms and grievance and complaints form

6. Keeps detailed records of enrollment and attendance to family development or parental sessions

7. Provide inputs and clarifications to parent leaders and beneficiaries about the program including their duties, responsibilities and rights under the program

8. Facilitate, review and submit to Operations Unit or Regional level completed update forms, CVS forms and GRS forms (when necessary) for encoding and processing

9. Keep log books detailing dates of presentation of complaints and updates and other transactions made by beneficiaries

10. Inform beneficiaries of the results of the grievances, complaints and updates and of other matters raised by beneficiaries including parent leaders

11. Perform other related tasks that may be assigned The Pantawid Program Mother/Parent-leader The Pantawid Program Mother/Parent-leader is the point of contact between the program, municipal link and the household grantees. She is also a 4P beneficiary and does not receive any form of compensation from DSWD. His/her main role is:

1. To lead the beneficiaries group in all meetings and activities; 2. To develop rapport with the members of the assembly; 3. To communicate regularly with the members of the community assembly; 4. To take lead in monitoring of commitments, compliance to the health and education

conditionalities and appropriate use of cash grants 5. To report and assist in filing of complaints and other forms of grievances on behalf of

her/his grantee members.

11 Municipal Link job description (http://jobs.dswd.gov.ph)

http://jobs.dswd.gov.ph/



F. Partnerships and Institutional Convergence Convergence Mechanisms 1. Inter-Agency Committees (for monitoring)12 The National, Regional and Local Advisory Committees are created and chaired by the Department of Social Welfare and Development. It draws inter-agency policies for the implementation of the program in accordance with the mandates of the agencies concerned such as the Department of Education, Department of Health and National Anti-Poverty Commission. Organization of Advisory Committee shall be undertaken down to the regional and municipal levels in order to strengthen coordination in the implementation and operationalization of sectoral activities to better execute the requirements in the implementation of the program in order to meet the conditionalities on education and health.

a. National Advisory Committee (NAC) - The NAC is responsible for policy and decision making, planning, technical assistance

and monitoring. b. Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) - There are 17 Regional Advisory Committees created - The RAC is responsible for the implementation of policies and plans, regional monitoring

and coordination c. Municipal Advisory Committee (MAC) / City Advisory Committee (CAC) - There is a Municipal or City Advisory Committee created for every city and municipality

where the Pantawid Program is being implemented. - The MAC / CAC is responsible for:

o Ensure the effectiveness of the implementation of the program at the municipal / city level;

o Ensuring supply side availability on health and education and monitoring of beneficiaries’ compliance with conditionalities and community assemblies;

o Provide necessary technical assistance to program implementation; o Coordinate with various concerned government agencies; o Prepare reports with issues and concerns to submit to the Regional Advisory

Committee. The LGU executive chairs the Municipal / City Advisory Committees. The Municipal / City Social Welfare and Development Offices (MCSWDOs / CSWDOs) are responsible for the documentation and preparation of the report to the committee.

12 Administrative Order No. 16, Series of 2008 (Internal Rules and Regulations on 4Ps)



2. Coordinating Committees (for cash grant delivery) A National Coordinating Committee chaired by the DSWD Secretary with LBP president as co-chair, was established in 2010, as well as the National and Regional Action Centers (NAC/RAC) to ensure faster delivery of cash grants to beneficiaries. The creation of these two bodies is vital in the efficient implementation of the Pantawid Program. The NAC will be chaired by the DSWD Pantawid Program Manager and co-chaired by the head of LBP National Capital Region branches group, while the RAC will be chaired by the DSWD Regional Deputy Project Manager for Pantawid Program, with head of LBP Regional Office as co-chair. Convergence with other Government Institutions In order to steer clear of wasting resources because of overlaps and redundancies in sectoral or geographical mandates arising from limited coordination of programs stemming from individual mandates, Pantawid Program promotes convergence of services among the following partner government agencies: 1. Department of Social Welfare and Development Central Office:

a. Oversee and coordinate the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Program. b. Chair the Advisory Committee at the National and Regional levels. c. Jointly conduct assessment of supplies for health and education in partnership with

concerned agencies d. Identify target areas based on existing data and select potential beneficiaries; e. Forge agreements with the LGUs to ensure availability of the supply side f. Provide technical assistance to the regional, provincial, city/municipal level on the over-

all operations of the program g. Serve as repository of data and information about the program h. Develop and implement grievance system for the program i. Mobilize, manage and account program funds and resources

Regional Office:

a. Translate national policies to region specific operational guidelines to ensure smooth implementation of the Program,

b. Coordinate the implementation/operationalization of sectoral activities to better execute Program objectives and functions at the regional, provincial and municipal levels

c. Review and resolve all Regional concerns and requirements needing actions, d. Ensure that supply side on health and education are available at the target

municipalities, e. Hold regular monthly committee meetings, and f. Prepare/submit monthly/quarterly accomplishment reports.



2. Department of Health The DOH shall:

a. Ensure representation in the Advisory Committees at the national, regional, city/municipal levels

b. Ensure that supply of health and nutrition services are available in target provinces /cities / municipalities / barangays.

c. Augment the LGUs logistics needs to enable them to provide the supply-side for Pantawid Program, including enrollment to Philhealth

d. Assign/designate a permanent staff to form part of the Pantawid Program Team at the national, regional / provincial / city / municipal levels

e. Help monitor program operation particularly on compliance of conditions for health 3. Department of Education (DepEd) DepEd, which is mandated to provide basic education that is equitably accessible to all children shall:

a. Ensure representation in the Advisory Committee at the national, regional, city and municipal levels

b. Ensure that supply of schools, teachers and education materials are available to Pantawid Program target provinces/ cities / municipalities / barangays.

c. Assign/designate a permanent staff to form part of the Pantawid Program Team at the regional/ provincial/ city/ municipal/ school levels

d. Help monitor Program operation particularly on compliance of conditions on education among beneficiaries

4. Department of the Interior and Local Government DILG, which mandated to promote peace and order, ensure public safety and further strengthen local government capability aimed towards the effective delivery of –basic services to the citizenry, shall:

a. Assist lead implementing agencies in capacitating target LGUs in accessing resources for the upgrading of facilities to meet the MDG goals

b. Actively participate in the activities of the National Advisory Committee and Technical Working Groups that may be created in all levels for the implementation of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (Pantawid Program)

c. Encourage LGUs to incorporate pro-poor programs particularly on health and nutrition in their plans and budget

d. Assist lead implementing agencies in the monitoring and eva!uation of Program implementation specifically at the barangay level



5. National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) NAPC as the "coordinating and advisory body" that exercises oversight functions in the implementation of Social Reform Agenda shall:

a. Ensure representation In the Advisory Committee at the national level b. Exercises oversight functions in the implementation of the program and provide data

and statistics on poor communities in the country pursuant to its role as the coordinating and advisory body of the Social Reform Agenda

c. Help monitor Program operations at the regional level 6. The Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) The Landbank shall:

a. Serve as the depository and disbursing bank of the Program (As of May 29, 2009 MOA) b. Provide for additional payment and distribution modes of the cash grants to beneficiaries

(As of July 14, 2011 MOA) c. Authorizes to identify, negotiate, accredit, and enter into separate agreement with

qualified conduits for the distribution of cash grants to Pantawid Program beneficiaries. 7. The Local Government Units (LGUs) The Local Government Units (LGUs) shall:

a. Key to coordinate actions and logistics at municipal level in the enumeration process, On-Demand Applications (ODA) and validations.

b. Ensure availability of the supply side on health and education in the target areas c. Provide necessary technical assistance for Program implementation d. Coordinate the implementation/operationalization of sectoral activities at the

City/Municipal level to better execute Program objectives and functions e. Coordinate with various concerned government agencies at the local level, sectoral

representatives and NGO to ensure effective Program implementation f. Prepare reports on issues and concerns regarding program implementation and submit

to the Regional Advisory Committee (RAC), and g. Hold monthly committee meetings

Partnership with NGOs and CSOs (Public Private Partnership) To ensure its success, the Pantawid Program must be democratically implemented with active participation of civil society and the grassroots urban and rural communities. The DSWD has, therefore, begun to engage more non-government organizations and civil society organizations (CSO) to keep an eye on the implementation of their conditional cash transfer program. As it expands to over two million households this year despite safeguards by the agency, the DSWD believes that the Pantawid Program might be prone to irregularities.



Such partnership is also in line with the directive of President Benigno Aquino III in the “Public-Private Partnership”, or the PPP. It is a system of cooperation between the government and any private institutions, non-government organizations and volunteer groups which aids in the fulfillment of the platform of President Benigno S. Aquino III on Good Governance and Poverty Reduction. The objectives of the PPP are:

1. To promote mutual cooperation between the government and the civil society organizations;

2. To assist the DSWD in the implementation and monitoring of anti-poverty programs of the government; and

3. To institutionalize mechanisms to ensure transparency and accountability in the delivery of basic social services to the poor.

Eight (8) Regional Planning Workshops with NGOs and CSOs have been conducted to orient the latter about the PPP and the roles and functions of NGOs and CSOs as partners in the Pantawid Program. The DSWD started its PPP campaign since 2010 and as of February 25, 2011, and out of the total number of participants of the regional planning workshops conducted, ninety three (93) NGOs / CSOs have already signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with DSWD to formalize their engagement with the program in the national level. The signed agreement defines the roles and functions of the CSO and the DSWD in the implementation and monitoring of the cash transfer program, including other poverty-reduction programs of government. These MOAs are the first signed by DSWD after the agency two months earlier launched its engagement with civil society groups in the Cordillera for the complementation and convergence of core poverty reduction programs of the government. Partner CSO’s may assess every step of the program in order to ensure good governance and transparency in all levels. Training/ workshop and transfer of technology to CSO members shall also be facilitated by the DSWD. Volunteer organizations may also be involved in any following ways:

1. Coordinate with the leaders of Citizen’s Organizations for the participation of their volunteers in the implementation of the program;

2. Participate in Community Assemblies as part of beneficiary identification process; 3. On-the –ground audit of the Compliance Verification System; 4. Assist in the Beneficiary Updating System; 5. Assist in the implementation of Grievance Redress System; and 6. In the enhancement and implementation of the Family Development Session modules.



“Bantay- Gabay-Kaagapay-Tulay” The delivery of basic social services to the poor, implementing development projects of the Government and instituting transparency and accountability mechanisms to fight corruption in observance of the Public-Private Partnership can be done in four(4) ways:

1. “Bantay” (watchdog / monitor)

This includes projects and activities geared towards fighting corruption (e.g. Monitoring of the implementation of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, and other programs implemented in the area, i.e. KALAHI-CIDSS, SEA-K, Supplemental Feeding Program, Healthy Start Feeding Program, etc.; local representation in the Pantawid Program-Provincial Advisory Committee) NGO partners are encouraged to: a) validate the National Household Targeting System (NHTS) list targeting Pantawid Program beneficiaries and other social protection programs, b) attend community assemblies as part of the beneficiary identification process, and 3) make an on-the-ground audit of the Pantawid Program’ compliance verification system.

2. “Gabay” (guide) This is a mechanism for extending / providing technical assistance (e.g. Information sharing, social networking, and sharing of best practices). The organizations can extend technical assistance in the facilitation of family development sessions; coach and mentor parent leaders; enhance family development session modules and other training materials; assist in the training of community volunteers for KALAHI-CIDSS areas; provide inputs on the development of KALAHI-CIDSS urban; provide business development services to SEA-K beneficiaries, which include skills and resource inventory, market study, product development, market access, and management of enterprises.

3. “Kaagapay” (accompanier / accompaniment) This includes anti-poverty projects and activities. The NGO can partner with DSWD in anti-poverty programs such as livelihood and referral systems for employment opportunities; adopt centers/institutions to provide support for the residents by way of material and psychological support; adopt a “street corner” to respond to the needs of street families and street children; and advocate and organize the barangay council for the protection of children to undertake preventive measures on child trafficking and abuse.



4. “Tulay” (bridge / facilitator) This refers to facilitating action, feedback and monitoring as a result of the NGOs engagement with DSWD (e.g. Coordination and networking with other government agencies, LGUs, NGOs and CSOs) The NGOs can help in facilitating action, feedback and monitoring through assistance in the beneficiary updating system (BUS); assistance in the implementation of the Grievance Redress System (GRS); and document the experiences of KALAHI-CIDSS communities.

As contained in the MOA, the DSWD recognizes participation of volunteers for the following reasons: 1. They contribute in enhancing economic and social capital; 2. They serve as catalysts who encourage the people they work with to discover their

potential and capabilities 3. They offer services without remuneration by mutual efforts or by belonging to a

voluntary organization in the spirit of partnership; 4. They stimulate social responsibility and promote family and community solidarity; and 5. They can complement the efforts of the Department in achieving an effective

implementation of its various programs and services. Donor Partnerships The Pantawid Program is the cornerstone of an evolving social welfare reform agenda. This was developed and is supported by multiple donors, namely: World Bank

1. Provided technical assistance in the development and finalization of the following 4P monitoring tools:

a. Masterlist Form b. Updates on Beneficiaries c. Monitoring on Health Compliance d. Monitoring on Education Compliance e. Community Participation and Parent Education f. LGU Commitments

2. Provided technical assistance in strengthening of the targeting mechanism to minimize

inclusion and exclusion errors13 and the revision and enrichment of the Pantawid Program Manual.

13 This was prior to the establishment and operation of the NHTS-PR, or this eventually led to the establishment of the NHTS-PR.



3. Provided a $405 million loan for the Program Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)

1. Provided grant support for the development of the good governance and anti-corruption aspects of the Pantawid Program, monitoring and evaluation and improved auditing.

2. Development of Beneficiary Guide Booklet 3. SSA Framework, tool development and enhancement

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

1. Provided support for the CCT program through the Development Policy Support Programs (2007, 2008 and 2009),

2. Provided fiscal stimulus support under the Countercyclical Support Facility (2009), including further scaling up of the program.

3. Provided a $400 million loan for the program Korea and Japan

1. Provided technical assistant for the program through the World Bank, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

1. Supports the policy agenda United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

1. Technical assistance and fund support on the enrichment of Family Development Session Guide

2. Support to Provincial and City Advisory Committees (PACs) as supply side Monitors in 6 provinces and 2 cities.



G. Updates on the Convergence As designed, the Pantawid Program can only be most effectively implemented, and can gain the greatest positive impact, if a convergence of many stakeholders present and clear and concise roles and interconnections are put in place. True to form, the various institutions involved in the convergence of Pantawid Program agencies have done their part to contribute towards a successful implementation of the Program. Landbank Aside from Over-the-Counter transactions and the Landbank Cash Card, cash grants can now be claimed via countryside financial institutions such as rural banks, cooperative banks, and thrift banks; cooperatives and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), and telecommunication companies. As of mid July 2011, beneficiaries of the Program could now get their grants from financial institutions other than Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank). DILG and LGUs The Pantawid Program beneficiaries of Region 12 were given more than a month to avail of free birth registration between May to June 2011. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), National Statistics Office (NSO) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the signatories of the Memorandum of Agreement in the holding of free birth registration have agreed to extend the free registration to June which was originally scheduled only in May. This will update the data of the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS - PR) and school aged children. By and large, the implementation program of Pantawid Program in the barangay level has as among its partner agencies the local elementary and secondary schools and the barangay health center. The roles of the principal and teacher in the Program are on monitoring the compliance of the pupil or student to the minimum number of school days required. The teacher checks this on a daily basis through her class attendance book, while the principal certifies the attendance book. The consolidated attendance records of all children-beneficiaries of the Program in the school is then forwarded to the municipal or city link, who then forwards this to their superiors and to the Regional Field Office in Koronadal City to be updated. The roles of the Barangay Health Worker (BHW) are also on monitoring, but more specifically in the compliance of the mother or guardian of the child/children to the health conditionalities of the Program.



Though the LGUs have concrete roles identified in the convergence, local chief executives or barangay officials do not see these roles as substantial enough. They particularly highlight their non-participation in the process of targeting beneficiaries within their jurisdiction. However, they can assist DSWD staff (the municipal link in particular) in the conduct of community assemblies which are part of the program process and procedures to validate potential and final beneficiaries. This has happened in all the barangays of the field study, as the municipal links make it a point to engage the barangay chairperson in the conduct of the community assemblies to validate and to register 4P beneficiaries in his/her barangay. The Barangay government is always provided a copy of the local area’s masterlist of beneficiaries. Technically, the monitoring work of the Barangay Health Worker, who is organizationally part of the local government of the barangay (and not with the DOH) may be considered as the Barangay LGU’s concrete role in the implementation of the Pantawid Program. But operationally, they can be considered as part of the convergence role of the DoH at the grassroots level. Department of Health RN HEALS The DoH launched a convergence project to the Program, where unemployed nurses will be deployed to poor communities in the country. The project, called “RN HEALS”, seeks to make essential health services available to all Filipinos by training and deploying 10,000 unemployed nurses in communities to be identified by the DOH in collaboration with the Department of Social Welfare & Development (DSWD) RN HEALS, an acronym for Registered Nurses for Health Enhancement And Local Service, is expected to address the shortage of skilled and experienced nurses in 1,221 rural and unserved or underserved communities for one year. They will undergo learning and development in accordance with the roles and functions required by the project. A certificate of competency and employment will be given by the DOH, DSWD, and the Professional Regulation Commission to those who have satisfactorily completed their requirements. Preference was given to residents of the municipalities covered by the Health Facilities Enhancement Program of DOH and Pantawid Program of the DSWD. Eventually, these nurses would be part of the pool of competent nurses for later employment or absorption in health facilities, thus addressing the inadequate supply of skilled nurses and increasing the nurses’ employment rate. Philhealth Cards The DoH is currently facilitating the release of Philhealth cards and free health insurance to indigent families (who incidentally are also the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Program) all over the country. General Santos City is the first city in Region XII to receive health cards. Recipients



can use the cards to avail of hospitalization, free consultation, and diagnostics from any of the Philhealth-accredited hospital and non hospital health facilities. The cards are valid until December 31, 2011 and can be renewed annually. NGOs and CSOs In SOCSKSARGEN, this field study has identified only two NGOs that have signed a memorandum of agreement with DSWD. They are PASALI Philippines Foundation and RD Foundation. Other NGOs that have been invited to sign a memorandum of agreement with DWSD and have signified intent to do so are Justice and Peace – Social Action Center (JP-SAC), International Care Ministries of the Philippines, Inc., and OND Hesed Foundation. Though conceptually NGOs having MOAs with the DSWD Regional Field Office are nominated and then included in the local GRS committee, this body has not yet begun to operate. Of late, NGOs have only been informed of their nomination into the GRS committee. No communication has been received on their actual inclusion into the GRS committee yet. Moreover, no schedule has been announced on the date of first convening of the GRS committee. Also, though accredited NGOs with social welfare or social protection programs have already been engaged in a workshop and were briefed about the four roles (Bantay, Gabay, Kaagapay, and Tulay) by which NGOs could complement the core programs of the DSWD, they are largely undefined. The description of each role serves as a guide to NGOs, who are given with the discretion to concretize and substantiate these roles and then communicate what they have designed with the DSWD for review and subsequent inter-phasing with the Program. To date, no initiative or set of activities that would substantiate the four NGO roles from the either of the two known NGOs with MOAs have been formally submitted to DSWD Region XII.

H. Programmatic Convergence – “TATSULO” If there is an institutional convergence in the implementation of Pantawid Program, there is also a programmatic convergence. The government’s three core anti-poverty programs are the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (Pantawid Program), the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS), and the Self-Employment assistance – Kaunlaran (SEA-K). This programmatic convergence is called “Tatsulo”, which is a compression of two words, namely “tatlo” (three) and “sulo (light). “Tatsulo” therefore means “three lights”. If one would add the letter “k” to “tatsulo”, it would form the word “tatsulok” (triangle). Different volunteer groups from different regions of the country were oriented on the convergence of the three poverty-reduction programs of the department through the conduct of the Convergence Roadshow.



These three programs are focused on the protective, promotive, and transformative dimensions in dealing with poverty at the individual, family, and community levels. The flagship program Pantawid Program or Conditional Cash Transfer aims to address poverty by investing on human capital particular on the individual’s health, nutrition, and education. It is seen as a preventive and protective mechanism so that the intergenerational cycle of poverty is stopped among poorest. The SEA-K employs wealth creation activities to the individual or an association and further engages them into entrepreneurial activities and trainings. This program targets the economically active poor. Specifically, it forms local entrepreneurial organizations in poor communities and provide a system of loans amounting to PHP 10,000.00 as capital outlay for small scale enterprise development. Finally, the KALAHI-CIDSS promotes transformative development among poor barangays or communities by empowering them to identify, decide, implement, and sustain social development initiatives. The program builds social capital and social inclusion among the poorest in development initiatives. The KC Project aims to contribute to poverty reduction by empowering communities through increased participation in community activities and enhancing local governance by promoting transparency and accountability practices. The KC project has three major components: (a) social preparation, capability-building and implementation support; (b) provision of funds for community projects; and (c) monitoring and evaluation. Community projects range from water systems, barangay health stations, school buildings, day care centers, flea markets and road rehabilitation among others. In Region XII, the KC project operated in 10 selected municipalities in Sarangani Province, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato and Cotabato Province. An off-shoot of the KALAHI-CIDSS, the Community Driven Development-Local Planning Process Harmonization Pilot Initiative or the Makamasang Tugon is also implemented in two phase-out municipalities in the region. This is how the DSWD envisioned the convergence of its flagship poverty-reduction programs as the government targets to uplift another 1.3 million poor households next year. In 2011, the DSWD is targeting 46 provinces in the entire country to intensively deliver the programs to the poorest of the poor. The convergence also seeks to achieve greater impacts on poverty reduction as it maximizes resources by reducing duplication of efforts and enhancing operational efficiency.



Recently, some 30 beneficiaries of the Pantawid Program in T’Boli, South Cotabato were awarded with PHP 300,000.00 capital loan assistance from from SEA-K Program in a bid to provide livelihood opportunities for poorest families in the region and to make them competent and productive members of the community. The group was identified through assessment of the project development officers assigned in South Cotabato. The beneficiaries are Pantawid Program members who have the potential for managing business. The identified beneficiaries were thoroughly evaluated according to the criteria for selection such as business skills, and availability of resources for start-up, among others. The beneficiaries are trained on basic business management prior to the awarding of cash assistance. The inclusion of the Pantawid Program beneficiaries to SEA-K is part of the convergence program of the department in order to prepare the members for the future and make them self-reliant members of the community. Set 1 and Set 2 communities of the Pantawid Program currently serve as the pilot areas of the SEA-K Program.



I. Prospects and Ways Forward Convergence in Targeting Poor Households Cognizant of the commonalities and differences between CBMS and NHTS-PR, possible areas of complementation between the two systems to allow for better targeting and efficient implementation of poverty-reduction programs are the following: 1. CBMS and NHTS-PR are using the same set of 34 variables except for income, which is not

being used in NHTS-PR because of possible manipulation. CBMS could provide the data for different models because it is not solely income-based. CBMS is also a rich source of information at the provincial level that could complement the data generated by NHTS-PR.

2. CBMS undertakes poverty mapping of households to provide the necessary measurement tools to identify where the poor are, analyze their poverty status and needs, and determine how poverty assistance can be delivered effectively. The poverty mapping approach intends to provide the means to help government in locating the poor, identifying their characteristics and describing their conditions to carry out poverty-reduction programs effectively. This method is not only approachable; it also appears to capture the multidimensionality of human wellbeing fairly accurately.

3. In comparison, NHTS-PR only undertakes the processing of data. Mapping could also be

done in NHTS-PR by adopting the CBMS experience.

4. Data from CBMS will prove useful in validating the accuracy of NHTS income predictors, thus minimizing inclusion and exclusion errors due to data collection.

5. NHTS-PR can take off from the CBMS experience on the partnership between and among local communities, local governments, and trained local researchers in an institutionalized system of regular data collection, validation, and analysis for local program development.

6. Considering that CBMS is still wanting in terms of geographical reach, NHTS holds great promise in terms of centralizing information on the beneficiaries of poverty reduction programs nationwide.

Instutionalization

Since the program is slated to run only for 5 years, legislation has been proposed to formally institutionalize the program. One such bill is Senate Bill No. 3412 or the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program Act of 2009, authored by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago. The bill aims to institutionalize the program by formally making it the National Conditional Fund Transfer Program.



J. Issues and Problems Perception Issues Many beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries have a different perception of the Pantawid Program than what is supposed to be. Among these misconceptions are:

1. The grants are to be released lump sum annually. 2. The grants can be used for any household need, or at the discretion of the head of the

family. 3. The grants are also for livelihood use, as Pantawid Program is promoted as a poverty

alleviation program. 4. The grants are channeled to the local government units and that it is the local

government units who deposit the bulk grants to Landbank. Targeting Issues Survey / Enumeration Though the type of housing unit is also determined in the Proxy Mean Test, there have been testimonies that enumerators only perform cursory inspection of houses from a distance and use the presence of concrete hollow block walls (part or full) as basis for further investigating a household. If a house has concrete hollow block walls, the enumerator excludes the house from the enumeration process. However, according to locals, having concrete hollow blocks as partial or full walls of houses in a known poor community is not a reliable indicator for not being poor. They cite that Filipinos are known to have extended family structures that provide mutual help and aid to one another on occasions. In one instance in Poblacion, Alabel, a neighbor of a Pantawid Program beneficiary was passed over by the enumerator simply because she had a concrete house and a television set. But upon closer investigation, it was found out that the television set was a “hand-me-down” from a cousin, while the construction materials for their house was sponsored on a one-time basis by family and relatives who were better off economically. Neither husband nor wife is gainfully employed. And because they were passed over by the enumerators of the NHTS-PR, they continue living off the meager income of an improvised “sari-sari” store which is actually only one side of a waiting shed. This instance is an “exclusion error”. Another testimony given was that the enumerators were not thorough in their survey, leaving out households located in the peripheries of the barangay, which are difficult to access. According to an employee of the Barangay Hall of San Jose, General Santos, households in such puroks as Twok (18 HH) Tuol (22 HH), Atbag (5 HH), Tanda (35 HH) and Blala (36 HH), among several other puroks bordering the municipality of T’Boli and located on top steep hills, were practically un-surveyed by the enumerators, with the exception of one to five families whose houses were located nearer to the main access routes of the puroks. All of these un-surveyed families belong to the T’Boli tribe, and have small-scale charcoal making as their primary source



of livelihood. They are affirmed by the employees of the San Jose Barangay Hall as among the poorest of the poor in the barangay. This is also an exclusion error. “Table-survey” Barangay officials in Palimbang and in Lutayan narrate of the occurrence of so called “table surveys” made by the enumerators when they went to the area. In a table survey, the enumerator fill up the blanks of the household assessment form in a haphazard manner and based on circumstantial and even “peripheral” information, just in order to comply with their daily quota of sixteen (16) household. Enumerators are enjoined to complete, or even go beyond this daily quota, because they are paid on a per household enumeration basis. As a result, when the true head of the house attend the initial community assembly for validation, he or she runs the risk of loosing the grant because he or she would look like he or she does not know personal and family information such as even the date of birth of his or her children (because she would be giving a different date from what was written by the enumerator). Time Constraints An enumerator of the survey conducted from 2008 to 2009 was interviewed and she narrated that her group was assigned to survey Barangay San Jose, General Santos City. Though she was able to complete her quota of households, her companions were unable to do so because of the inaccessibility of the location of the households. This situation was complicated by the fact that the DSWD gave them only one month to complete their survey. As a result, they were unable to reach the far flung puroks of the barangay before submitting their final list of enumerated households to their superiors. This problem ties up with the issue on enumeration in the same barangay narrated in the previous page. Validation and Registration Issues Presenting Supporting Documents – A Hassle Under the registration and validation process, the Program requires the presentation and submission of legal documents such as children’s birth certificates, marriage certificates, valid ID, etc. (as basis for verification of identity and age). According to some respondents, they experience great difficulty in the 5-Step requirements of the Pantawid Program’s registration phase, particularly on the requirement to present and submit a birth certificate for each child of the family who is enrolled in the Program. A good number of beneficiaries needed to travel long distances back to their places of origin and process request for copies of these documents in order to comply with this requirement. This experience is not only a prevailing problem among Moro and IP beneficiary families in SOCSKSARGEN, but even among Majority-Settler beneficiary families as well. It is a habit (in the case of Majority-Settler beneficiaries) or cultural practice (in the case of Moro and IP beneficiaries) of these families to give birth at home and through traditional



birthing attendants. As a result, their children’s births are not recorded at all with the local civil registrar. This report concurs with the document released by UNICEF in 2006 which states that 35% of births in East Asia and the Pacific is unregistered. Further, the National Statistics Office (NSO) estimates that about 10 – 15% of Filipino children born every year is not properly documented. Other respondents also have almost the same difficulty in presenting marriage certificates, particularly in the case of Moro and IP beneficiaries, and especially those in the more remote locations of the sub-region, the ritual and ceremonial act of marriage is sufficient for them as a contract. Because access to public documentation is very low, acquiring marriage certificates (as facilitated by the officiating imam or IP religious leader) or other documents that would help verify one’s identity is not anymore a priority, considering that it is not need in their community. With their inclusion in the Program, and in their interest to avail of the cash grants, they were forced to travel difficult and long roads to the local municipal civil registrar’s office on a work-day and line up to apply for a birth certificate (for each qualified child), and a marriage certificate (for herself/himself). This process is rendered more difficult and more costly because they are required to pay the fees and are made to travel to and from the local civil registrar’s office from two to three times before finally getting the documents applied for14. From the perspective of the respondents, this is an unfair and culturally insensitive registration system. One beneficiary even shared that she felt that she was being “softly coerced” to set aside her cultural tendencies and comply with activities that are not her tribe’s just so her family could avail of a service from government that by rights are supposed to be given to them, and which the government is duty bound to give. But she added that she had no choice, because the grant could help her family financially and could solve many household problems. “Baklas” In Palimbang and Lutayan, there have been several stories shared about people who assume the identities of Pantawid Program beneficiaries on the day of registration / validation because of their familiarity to the details of the beneficiary’s family. They are popularly known as “baklas”. These “baklas” may be a relative (brother, uncle, cousin, etc.) of the beneficiaries. For some time, Palimbang occupied the “valedictorian” position in number of “baklas” cases monitored by DSWD, while Lutayan occupied the “salutatorian” position. Others who do not fall under the category of poor because they are gainfully employed but have become beneficiaries of the Program anyhow, and have even received several cash grants already, are also called “baklas”. In Barangay Apopong, General Santos City, among several other barangays of the Pantawid Program areas within SOCSKSARGEN, a local official has revealed that a member of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and a teacher are active members of the Pantawid Program in the barangay. This barangay official carries reservations of reporting this incident because she is known in the barangay and the beneficiaries might

14 Average processing time for issuance of a public document is from 5 days to half a month, depending on location of agency.



retaliate violently to her actions. She is unsure if the City Link assigned to Barangay Apopong knows of this. Compliance Issues In general, many beneficiary-respondents are not religious in complying with the conditionalities of their cash grants. As a result, the amount of their cash grants are either reduced or suspended. When probed, beneficiary-respondents themselves are unsure of the reason of their predicament, or if they have a reason in mind (based on their perception), it is ambiguous or vague. During the field study, most of the beneficiary-respondents interviewed are only partially familiar of the details on how to comply with the conditionalities of the Program. The Grievance Redress System (GRS) may have been installed in municipalities / provinces for transparent program operation, but the NGO component has not yet been activated. Nominations of NGOs to be included in the GRS committees have been sent out, but that is the latest development so far. No developments have followed yet. Inclusion errors (beneficiaries not illegible in the program) and exclusion errors (poor households that were not included in the previous survey) in Palimbang and in several barangays have not yet been addressed or responded to, or no action thereof has been tracked. Moreover, the officials of the barangay local government units are apparently not familiar with, or have forgotten about, the grievance forms that the Municipal Links carry all the time, which they could fill up in order to request for an “On Demand Application” for a new survey, or a re-survey of the barangays with the highest known incidences of “baklas” to address both inclusion and exclusion errors in Palimbang. Releasing Issues Distance to Landbank Branch Landbank branch offices, though probably with the broadest reach among all government owned banks, do not actually have facilities in a good number of the identified poor communities under the Pantawid Program. Three examples could be cited: Palimbang, and Lutayan of Sultan Kudarat province, and Lake Sebu of South Cotabato province. In the case of Palimbang, the nearest designated Landbank disbursing branch for Pantawid Program is in General Santos City. According to beneficiaries living in Palimbang, one-way transportation costs for one person going to General Santos City amounts to PHP 250.00. This is a 3 to 4 hour ride. Round trip costs would be PHP 500.00 and would have a total of 6 to 8 riding hours. This does not include the minimum 2 to 3 hours of standing in line outside the disbursing branch to get one’s cash grant. If the beneficiary is a woman (this is the case for most beneficiaries), she will not travel the distance on her own, especially if the would be forced to return to Palimbang in the evening hours. She would most probably be accompanied



by her husband. That would mean a total round trip cost of PHP 1,000.00. By their standards, this amount is already too large to spend on transportation costs alone, unless the reason for using it has basis. And in almost all cases in Palimbang, this amount is borrowed from money-lenders, to be given back (with or without interest, depending on the agreement) upon the borrower’s return from General Santos City. If that woman beneficiary stands to receive the maximum cash grant of P1,400.00 per month, that would mean a total cash grant release of PHP 4,200.00 for a quarter15. Of that total amount, about PHP 3,000.00 would remain, minus the round trip transportation costs and incidental expenses along the way. Though the remaining amount is substantial enough, the loss of upto PHP 1,200.00 for transportation to and from Palimbang is unnecessary and wasteful. Though small, that amount could have gone to where it was supposed to go: education, health and nutrition support for children-beneficiaries. However, if that woman beneficiary stands to receive the most minimum amount of PHP 500.00 (for pregnant mothers, or mothers with children below 3 years old), the percentage loss of money from the cash grant would be much higher. She would have to travel with the infant or toddler in tow (or in the case of a pregnant woman, she would have to travel in her condition and at that distance). If the cash grant would only be worth PHP 300.00 (say the mother was delinquent with the health conditionalities and only had one child enrolled in the Program), then she would only stand to receive PHP 900.00 as cash grant for three months. She would then be at a deficit of PHP 100.00. Tendency would be she would not go to General Santos City to get the cash grant. This is a common case in Palimbang. In Barangay Tananzang, Lutayan, which is east of Koronadal City, a one-way fare to the Landbank disbursing branch there is PHP 200.00. A round trip travel would cost PHP 400.00. Money used for the travel would most probably be borrowed as well. In Lake Sebu, which is west of Koronadal City and farther to it than Lutayan based on distance, but has more accessibility, a one-way fare to the Landbank disbursing branch there is PHP 120.00 to PHP 150.00. A round trip would cost PHP 240.00 to PHP 300.00. In one instance narrated by a Lake Sebu beneficiary respondent, a pregnant woman who was going to Koronadal City to withdraw her cash grant was part of a vehicle accident along the way and died. Electronic Issues A beneficiary checked the account balance of her Landbank cash card in the ATM facility16 of the ICTUS branch office in Poblacion, Lake Sebu to determine if the pre-announced cash grants have already been placed in their cash card accounts. Her balance inquiry turned out positive.

15 There are some releases that are once in every two months, thus reducing the total amount of cash grant per release, though increasing the frequency of releases. 16 Transactions using Landbank cash cards can be done with ATM facilities that are members of ExpressNet, BancNet, and MegaLink.



According to her, she did not withdraw the money in the ICTUS managed ATM. Instead, she traveled down to Koronadal City to withdraw the cash grant from the Landbank branch there and purchase supplies for her children17. However, upon attempting to withdraw the cash grant, the ATM informed her that her account balance was zero. She returned empty handed to Lake Sebu and was not able to purchase the school supplies needed by her children. If and when this complaint would be addressed, the amount would most probably be released three months after the case was lodged, which would be during the next releasing date. She would effectively would have to waited for six months, or half a year. One case in Lake Sebu reported not being able to access her cash card account, much more withdraw cash grant because the pin code that was provided to her was wrong (or from the side of a Landbank employee, perhaps read wrongly, like the number “0” and the letter “O”. Lining-up Problems There was one case narrated by a beneficiary respondent from Kolong-Kolong, Palimbang where a Manobo mother-beneficiary travelled to General Santos City with her baby on a sling-crib around her torso (baby is positioned on her chest diagonally) to get her cash grant. She had to line up for at least more than two hours, along with over a thousand other beneficiaries from her area under the heat of midday sun outside the Landbank disbursing branch in General Santos City18. When she finally entered the bank premises, the temperature dropped drastically from very hot to very cold. She stayed inside the bank for almost an hour and eventually she left the premises after getting her cash grant, returning to the extreme heat outside. As she was exiting the door of the bank, she checked on her baby to see if the baby was okay, but found that the baby was dead. Wrong Usage of Cash Grants Also in Barangay Tananzang, Lutayan, as a practice of many beneficiaries of Pantawid Program, once they know that a releasing date is near, and they have verified (through the pre-cash card system of payrolls and ARs) that they have a cash grant to receive, they loan the amount from others and purchase what is needed by their children prior to the actual arrival of the cash grant. If they use the cash grant in other ways instead of paying the amount to the people who loaned to them in advance, then they would be unable to pay their debt. This may create a new cycle of indebtedness for the beneficiary. In Barangay Apopong, General Santos City, a Pantawid Program beneficiary was caught gambling by a barangay official (kagawad) right after receiving her cash grant. She was firmly admonished by the official. But the official believes there are others who gamble away their cash grants secretly.

17 School supplies are cheaper in Koronadal City than in Lake Sebu. 18 At the time of this field study, Pantawid Program beneficiaries from Palimbang have not yet been issued their Landbank cash cards.



Supply-Side Issues According to Mrs. Nelida Pereira, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office of South Cotabato, if there is an area where NGOs can make the greatest positive impact in support of the Pantawid Program and in the overall social protection work for children in the communities, it would be in helping to ensure that the supply side on both educational and health components is sufficient to the present demand. In a recent stakeholders workshop where Mrs. Pereira was a participant, representatives from the Regional DOH and DepEd offices affirmed that poor LGUs are having problems in matching the volume of the educational and health supply demands. The lack of textbooks for pupils and the basic teaching materials for teachers are among the most glaring gaps in the supply side. In other words, the Pantawid Program may have facilitated an increase in student attendance in schools and in mothers and children availing of basic maternal and child health care services in the barangay health centers, but the quality of education that pupils may receive daily in their classrooms and the quality of health services that mothers and children may receive in the health centers are very low. The present difficult situation on the supply side of the conditional cash transfer process defeats the purpose of the cash grants. If this is not addressed, then the Philippines may end up investing on the development of human capital that is bereft of quality educational background, that is not healthy, and that remains malnourished. Personnel Issues All of the five (5) municipal links interviewed lament the relatively low monthly allocation for travel expenses (PHP 5,000.00). Based on their experience, such an amount would be viable if in an urban setting, where vehicle fares are standard. However, going to such barangays as San Jose (Gen. Santos City), Tananzang (Lutayan), Luhib (Lake Sebu), and the entire of Palimbang would entail a considerably higher amount to go around in. In addition, the parent leaders have been praised by their municipal links of their sense of dedication and commitment to help out and make the Program work. But the entire process has seemed to overlook that fact that she is a beneficiary as well. She too belongs to the poor. She therefore does not have the monetary resources to go around and mobilize or organize simultaneously with the municipal link.



K. Responses of Pantawid Program Perception Issues DSWD Region XII allocated some P1.87 million for the implementation of a region-wide information and education campaign for the Pantawid Program early this year. The funds was mainly be used for the implementation of various advocacy programs that would help further promote and increase public awareness regarding the Pantawid Program. A plan was designed that is appropriate for Region 12 communication needs. various activities were identified for the stakeholders using the TRIP (TV, Radio, Internet and Print media). The allocation was released by the DSWD central office following a week-long communication planning workshop for Pantawid Program information officers in the country. Each region was allotted P1.8 million for the implementation of their communication plans for this year. Approved regional communication plans mainly comprise the agency’s national communication plan for the Pantawid Program. Based on their prepared Pantawid Program communication plan for this year, initiatives would focus on the launching of advocacy activities that will help the people change their perception on the government’s effort to reduce poverty incidence and better understand the mechanics of the program. The lined up activities included a fun run, band competition and a stakeholder’s forum. The stakeholder’s forum involved prominent personalities who were supporting the national government’s three core poverty reduction programs – Pantawid Program, KALAHI-CIDSS, and SEA-K (also known as TATSULO). Validation and Registration Issues Last March 20, 2011, the DSWD, National Statistics Office, and Department of the Interior and Local Government signed a Memorandum of Agreement on free birth registration for Pantawid Pamilya grantees in Region XII, mandating all Municipalities covered by the Program to support the “Free Birth Registration Project”. All City/Municipal Civil Registrars in Pantawid Program areas were enjoined to accept both timely and delayed birth registrations for the entire month of May 2011. Timely and delayed birth registrations were free of charge for Pantawid Program beneficiary families and school aged children. On August 9, 2011, the Mayor of the municipality of Malungon organized and officiated a mass wedding for 194 IP (B’laan and Tagakaulo tribes) couples living in tribal villages in Sitio Dalamuan, Barangay Lutay of Malungon. Malungon is a Pantawid Program municipality. The mayor, Hon. Reynaldo Constantino, said he did it because there were many IPs who were deprived of government services such as the Pantawid Program simply because they did not have the necessary documents, such as marriage certificates. No reports yet have been acquired on the success rate of this response.



This response never happened in the previous years for beneficiaries from the older Sets (1 to 3) of the Program. They had to exert effort in processing the documents from the NSO and the local civil registrar, and had to spend money comparable to the anticipated cash grant for affidavits and for transportation expenses just to complete the registration requirements. For cases in exclusion errors and inclusion errors, the On-Demand Application (ODA) for a “re-enumeration” of poor households in a barangay can correct leakages, or include deserving poor households that were inadvertently excluded in the previous full enumeration Releasing Issues For Lake Sebu, Landbank engaged in a MOA with the Integrated Cooperative Towards Unified Service (ICTUS) so that the ATM facility at the latter’s Lake Sebu Branch Office could now be used to release cash grants to Pantawid Program cash card holders. Compliance Issues Education Compliance DSWD claims that the effectivity of the Compliance Verification System (CVS) for schools is satisfactory. Class advisers record the daily attendance of the students and determine if they have been present in class for at least 85% of the total number of school days per month. This recorded attendance is then certified by the principal of the school. Any absences incurred beyond the maximum allowed will be excused provided that a medical certification is provided to show validity of absence. On the part of the principals and teachers, they give allowance and a certain degree of leniency to students who have gone beyond the minimum allowed absences per month, but whose added absences are with valid reasons (actual sickness, emergency situations in the family, etc.). This situation is especially the case in rural areas where the barangay health center is far away from the child’s school and house, or there is no doctor or nurse who could furnish the parents with a medical certification of their child’s sickness. Health and Nutrition Several respondents have cited that they had complied with the health and nutrition conditionalities set forth, but upon checking of their cash grants, the health and nutrition portion of the cash grant was deducted from the amount (PHP 500.00), consequently discouraging the beneficiaries. In some cases, the barangay health worker only reports to the barangay health center once a week or even once a month. At this frequency, beneficiaries would have to crowd the center during the times that the worker is present and wait in a very long line in order to get the certification of compliance. Under this condition, the worker would be forced to drastically lower the standards of the health compliance requirements (and consequently the health service that is supposed to be provided) just to “dispose” of the lined up crowd as fast as possible



Updating Issues In the case of one respondent from Brgy. Poblacion, Alabel, Sarangani Province, her name was on the regular payroll twice, but she never got her AR when she lined up in the designated Landbank disbursing branch office. To complicate matters, she did not complain about this to her designated parent-leader nor to her municipal link. She just held it as a grudge and kept it to herself. She subsequently stopped complying with the conditions of the Program. She claimed that she decided to stop because it was useless and that the Program “forgot” her. When asked why she did not submit her complaint to the parent-leader, or to the municipal link, she answered that the two might get angry. She also added that it had already been several months since she first made her complaint, but nothing happened. She was assured that her complaint would be addressed and her compliance status would be updated, but nothing happened. Releasing Issues Cash Cards A respondent in Poblacion Lake Sebu recounted a co-beneficiary’s experience, where she did a balance inquiry of her cash card in the atm machine stationed at the ICTUS Lake Sebu Office to determine if her grant was already in her account. After determining that the grant was already debited to her cash card, she traveled down to Koronadal City where she planned to withdraw the amount in the cash card and purchase her children’s needs in the city. But upon attempting to withdraw said amount in the atm machine of Landbank in Koronadal City, the card’s balance suddenly became empty for no known reason. ARs Because of the cases of “table surveys” in Lutayan and Palimbang, there had been stories narrated that some individuals who allegedly pose as “proxy” of actual beneficiaries were able to encash “a bundle” of ARs. Un-announced Grant Reductions Almost all respondents complained about the sudden reduction of grant amount for the month of April and May without any notification on the basis of the reduction. The beneficiaries somehow are unfamiliar with that portion of the grant for education which states that said component of the grant is only for ten months out of the twelve in a year, because there are no classes during April and May. As such, no educational component of the grant was released for those months, only the health component of the grant was released19

19 Provided the conditionalities were complied with



Grievance and Redress System (GRS) Issues Many beneficiaries claim that they are uncomfortable with using the GRS should there be a need. Personnel Issues To address the apparent overload in work at the barangay level, the DSWD has recently hired Social Welfare Assistants (SWAs) to help in the collection of compliance forms from schools and health centers, as well as Administrative Assistants in the provincial and regional levels to delegate administrative workloads therein.



V. ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS The NHTS-PR as a targeting tool Government agencies like the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) have already forged agreements with the DSWD to use the NHTS-PR database for their program planning and identification of beneficiaries. With such information, agencies can direct resources to the ones who need them the most. With the use of the database, projects like electrification can be concentrated on areas with high incidence of poverty, uplifting the community economic sustainability and reducing poverty. The system can also correlate other poverty related problems like human trafficking in order to prevent them from even happening. Since the NHTS-PR is technically an information management system, it is very reliant on technology. It uses Open Technologies as the primary software backbone and the latest multiple processor servers available at the time. Nonetheless, ambiguities are present, not in the NHTS-PR per se, but in the process of acquiring the data from the households. In particular, the term “household head” may not necessarily mean “mother-of-the-family”. During the field study’s interview with Pantawid Program beneficiaries, it was observed that the term “household head” could either mean father-of-the-family or mother-of-the-family. Though it would be the usual practice to identify the mother-of-the-family as “household head” on the household assessment form. Certain situations and conditions have caused the enumerator to identify the “father-of-the-family” as the household head. Among these variables are:

1. The presence of the father at home and the absence of the mother during the day of enumeration

2. The father being unemployed as well 3. The refusal of the mother to be identified as the “household head”

There have also been situations observed which had the grandmother (or grandparents) of the children as the identified “household head” instead of the parents. Reasons for these are:

1. Abandonment of the parents’ responsibility to rear the children in favor of the grandparents

2. Death of the remaining parent (if single parent) 3. Incapacity (disability) of the remaining parent (if single parent)

Registration and Validation The complaint of respondents on the hassles experienced in order to produce birth certificates and a marriage certificate as being unfair and culturally insensitive is with basis. A conditional cash transfer program is a system that requires documentation. However, in the context of the



Moro and IP (particularly the latter), documentation of births and marriages is not a concern for them. In a way, this is perceived as a form of coercion upon them to do something that they are not culturally used to do. Releasing of Cash Grants The modes of cash distribution, particularly to address the problems of distance and accessibility of remote rural communities to designated Landbank disbursing branches have not been fully addressed by DSWD and Landbank. However, the case may also be that there is a lack of institutions possessing the inherent capacity and the willingness to be accredited by Landbank as conduits in the distribution of cash grants to remote communities, particularly in the southern half of Mindanao, where the peace and order situation is unpredictable. Amount of Cash Grants A family of five in the Philippines needs to have a minimum monthly income of PhP7,017 per month to meet its basic food and non‐food requirements. The said amount of cash grant is only a fifth (20.1%) of the monthly poverty threshold in 2009. Although the intent is not to promote mendicancy and dependency on the part of the beneficiaries a slight increase in the amount of the cash grant should be considered, at PHP 600.00 for the health and nutrition grant (from PHP 500.00) and PHP 400.00 for the education grant per child (from PHP 300.00). Grievance and Redress System It is observed that beneficiaries have a fatalistic attitude on the way their welfare is being protected, even by a safety net mechanism such as Pantawid Program. They lack the assertiveness to make use of the safeguard mechanisms of the Grievance and Redress System. They have the tendency of merely keeping silent about it and carrying a grudge against either the parent leader, the city or municipal link, or even DSWD and the government as a whole for overlooking or neglecting her welfare and rights as grantees. Even if an honest technical or clerical error on the part of the personnel in charge of updating the list of grantees (Beneficiary Updating System) had caused the “overlooking” or “neglect”, this would subsequently lead most of the beneficiaries to stop complying with the conditions of the Program simply out of discouragement. Family Development Sessions and the Eight Modules It is unclear what the basis is for arranging the sequence and progression of the FDS modules, but it appears that it is not arranged according to urgency. Financial management, as a skill for home managers, is of the utmost urgency in terms of capacitating the heads of the families of Pantawid Program beneficiaries. There have been hundreds of stories that recount how the cash grant had been misused or misspent by the heads of the family. It is not that the municipal and city links are remiss in their duties. It is just



that the topic on financial management is incorporated in the 8th module, which is on home management, and it is the last module to be taught to the beneficiaries during the FDS series. If the home development module would be taught first, or at least second after Understanding Myself and then Responsible Parenthood, the probability of misuse or misspending the cash grant would be reduced. Parents would be more conscious and more discerning on where to use the cash grant. Equally urgent and seemingly out of sequence is Responsible Parenthood, which is placed as module 5. Values formation for the head of the family should be addressed in advance in order for them to understand and internalize the importance of their role and that it behooves them to assume full responsibility for and be concerned about the well being of the children, despite the seemingly unending social problems they face everyday that usually consumes their time. Monitoring and Sanctions It is observed that beneficiaries are not as informed and familiar with the details of the “Sanctions for Non-Compliance of Program Conditionalities.” When asked about the details of the conditions (first offense, second offense, third offense) which would lead to termination or suspension of their cash grant (fully or partially), practically all of the beneficiaries could not give a satisfactory answer. Only the parent-leaders who were interviewed were able to provide satisfactory answers about the topic, but their knowledge about it is not upto acceptable standards. Area-Specific Nuances No discernable nuance on an area-specific basis was determined by the field study, except that in a portion of the Pantawid Program coverage areas, the beneficiaries are still released of their cash grants through the payroll – acknowledgement receipt system, instead of through ATM facilities using the Landbank cash cards. These have yet to be released to them. Area-to-Intervention Disparity It seems that, because the Pantawid Program is designed to target and service the poorest of families (who happen to be located in the poorest and most remote, or least accessible communities, for the most part), the obvious challenge that all involved in program implementation is now facing is how to systematically mitigate vulnerabilities in education, health and nutrition in a location where there is a lack (or even a near absence of) education, health and nutrition infrastructures. As an example, in northern Palimbang, a local armed conflict occurred in mid-June 2011, causing the displacement of about 6,000 people. Most of them had crossed the bay southward and temporarily lived in evacuation camps in Barangay Poblacion and the surrounding barangays. A few weeks later, the 7 month old baby of a young IDP couple was diagnosed with dehydration by the resident doctor of the municipality’s Rural Health Unit. But because of the absence of health facilities that could have addressed the baby’s problem, all the doctor could do was enjoin the young family to travel to General Santos City as soon as possible and admit



the baby in one of the public hospitals there which had more complete facilities. The problem was that the young couple did not have enough money to bring the baby to General Santos City. The municipal government had an ambulance, but policy allegedly required any user of the vehicle to pay PHP 3,000.00 for fuel and the driver’s tip. The private commercial vans were even more expensive at PHP 5,000.00. Using only his motorcycle, the young couple attempted to leave Palimbang, now with the grandmother in tow because someone needed to keep the baby’s dextrose pack constantly above the baby. Even before crossing the borders of the municipality, the baby’s vital signs had dropped so low that it would be impossible for her to survive the long journey. She had to be returned to the Rural Health Unit for emergency treatment, but the baby was not able to make it back. In another example, practically all of the 200 families in Barangay Tananzang, Lutayan are Pantawid Program beneficiaries. And because of the compliance to conditionalities, the Teacher-in-Charge (TIC) of the Tananzang Elementary School, Mr. Daniel Losañes reported a rise in number of students from 163 to 211, excluding 37 pre-school pupils for the current year. As a result, Tananzang Elementary School had a complete set of grade levels (Grades 1 to 6) plus a full pre-school level. The problem, however, was that there were only four classrooms constructed and there were only four teachers assigned there. To make do with what they had. The pre-schoolers had their classes in the mini-gym nearby; while the grades 1 and 2 classes and the grades 3 and 4 classes were combined in just one classroom (to take the same subject matter together).This does not even mention the extent of the lack of the school on the supply side. The teachers there experience constant difficulty in trying to creatively teach their students lessons for the day without the use of teaching aides and accessories that would help facilitate the learning process and increase the retention rates of students. The above mentioned situations, particularly the inability of education and health infrastructures to respond to the needs of the community where the Pantawid Program happens to be implemented, could defeat the essence and purpose of the Program in terms of mitigating vulnerabilities and increasing capacities among the poor. Although there is a conditionality for LGUs where, in the event that a barangay is not prepared to meet the supply-side requirements, the LGU will be given six months to address the problem/s before program implementation may start, the effectivity of this mechanism does not only have an implication on the barangay’s budget, it also is dependent on the size of the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) of the barangay. In the case of Barangay Tananzang, since it is a newly created barangay, it receives a PHP 20,000 monthly allotment from its mother barangay, Barangay Palavilla, Lutayan. The difference between the allotment of Barangay Tananzang and the average poor Pantawid Program barangay is small. These barangays do not have the resources needed to comply with the supply-side requirements. Absence of NCIP in Institutional Partnership The Nation Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) does not have a direct convergence role in the implementation of the Pantawid Program, except to support and affirm locations where Indigenous People’s (IPs) are found which is part of the Pantawid Program implementation areas.



It is surmised that the non-inclusion of the NCIP therein is due to the fact that the roles, functions and services needed in the effective implementation of the Program are already embedded in the other agencies, considering that Indigenous Peoples are already included as among the targeted beneficiaries in the overall operations of the Program. VI. ASSESSMENT AND CONCLUSIONS In all the locations visited by this field study, the general feeling of the beneficiary-respondents is that the program has helped to ease the difficulties being experienced by their families. On the overall, the cash grants have lessened the financial load of the family because school and health maintenance costs are now partly assumed by the Pantawid Program grant. Whereas before, their children do not have the appropriate clothing to go to school, now, with the cash grants provided by Pantawid Program, the parents were able to buy appropriate clothing that serve as their uniforms in school. The parents were also able to buy at least one pair of slippers for their children. There are many children in the remote villages that go to school bare-footed. With the slippers, the soles of their feet are not anymore as vulnerable to injury as before. There also remains a comparatively high out-of-school rate in Moro and IP communities. However with the conditionalities of the Pantawid Program, parents now make it a point that their children go to school regularly. They are provided with a few more notebooks and pencils because of the cash grants. Whereas before in Tananzang Elementary School, a student uses only two notebooks for all eight (8) subjects, now the student has one notebook per subject. Parents are also now more active in attending PTCA20 meetings In Kolong-kolong, students can now go to school daily faster by sharing the fare costs with other students on board a public tricycle. Whereas before, they had to walk some distance to go to school and back everyday. Parents in Wal, Palimbang and Poblacion, Lake Sebu can now buy medicines when their children get sick, or also buy vitamins so that they do not get sick easily. By and large, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program of the DSWD, as researched in SOCSKSARGEN area specifically, is assessed as successful in terms of being able to provide a safety net or a social protection measure to a great number of poor households. However, there are a good number of notable areas in the implementation process where the Pantawid Program that has a considerable room for improvement, particularly in 1) the targeting, 2) the releasing, 30 the monitoring and 4) the supply-side aspects.

20 Parent-Teacher Association



VII. RECOMMENDATIONS Targeting For specific cases interviewed such as Brgy. Wal, Palimbang, and Brgy. San Jose, Gen. Santos City, partner NGOs should initiate a move for an On-Demand Application for a re-enumeration of these places in order to correct both inclusion and exclusion errors, as well as complaints of “table surveys” conducted in these areas. The barangay chairman of Wal, Palimbang strongly believes that there are over a hundred legitimate poor in his barangay who were not counted because they were out working the farms at the time the enumerators came. There is still over 2 million poor remaining out there that the government still wants to reach out to. For subsequent targeting activities by the NHTS-PR in SOCSKSARGEN and Region XII, partner NGOs should engage with the DSWD and the NHTS-PR and level off with them in developing mechanisms where the NGOs and the barangay councils of these new areas would work closely with the NHTS-PR and the enumerators themselves so that margins of error in targeting the poor would be further lessened. Releasing of Cash Grants It is recommended that there should be increased access of Pantawid Program beneficiaries to the modes of releasing cash grants, particularly in the case of Palimbang, Lutayan and other municipalities with similar situations. Whether it is Landbank and DSWD, or NGOs operating in remote communities, there should be initiative taken in facilitating the establishment of ATM facilities in these areas. An ATM facility within Palimbang, or within Lutayan would drastically decrease the already exhorbitant expenses made in traveling to General Santos City just to claim cash grants. Since it is the Landbank who is authorized to identify, negotiate, accredit, and enter into separate agreement with qualified conduits for the distribution of cash grants, interested NGOs with the capacity to do so should apply for accreditation as a conduit for the distribution of Pantawid Program cash grants in remote areas. Confidence Building Another area of intervention that partner NGOs and DSWD can look into is in building the confidence of Pantawid Program beneficiaries in the Program. That despite certain problems that have occurred along the way, the positives far outweigh the negatives. Although the timeframe for DSWD personnel in resolving an issue or problem on the ground is about one month, in most cases, the changes would be felt on a per releasing date basis, like for example an error in reduction of amount of cash grant, where the beneficiary was religious in complying with the conditionalities, but was inadvertently deducted of her health grant. While the subsequent correction may have been encoded into the database, the actual retroactive effect of that correction would only be felt on the next cash grant release. If cash grants are



released quarterly, then the beneficiary who experienced this inadvertent deduction would have to wait for six months or half a year before she is recompensed. This could be a devastating blow to the beneficiary. To be made to wait for half a year would truly be discouraging. It is, therefore, either a confidence building measure is put in place to soften the blow of such occurrences, or the resolution time of a grievance is shortened so that the waiting time of the beneficiary would subsequently be shortened as well. Sanctions to Non-Compliance DSWD Municipal Links, together with partner NGOs of DSWD should ensure that the details on the “Sanctions for Non-Compliance of Program Conditionalities” are very familiar to them. Beneficiaries should also be fully informed and completely familiar about these sanctions. Selective or a lack of understanding and familiarity of the details of these sanctions will definitely lead to misunderstandings, misplaced dissatisfaction, discouragement to further comply, cooperate and participate in the program, and even disobedience on the part of the beneficiary. The latter may also hasten their termination from the program without due process. To mitigate continuation of this situation, clear and full conveyance of this information should be ensured and repeated as often as possible for purposes of retention. Pantawid Program Support Should NGOs decide to support the implementation of Pantawid Program, it is recommended that they use the Public-Private Partnership framework provided by DSWD as guide in attuning their activities to the Pantawid Program and even to the TATSULO Convergence Program (Pantawid Program, Kalahi-CIDSS and SEA-K). NGOs would need to attune their programmatic orientation to that of the core social protection programs of DSWD in order to develop more meaningful complementation of interventions on the ground. Areas of intervention that are attuned to the four roles (Gabay, Tulay, Bantay, Kaagapay) may include the following:

7. Facilitating institution-building to the local assemblies initially organized by Pantawid Program towards becoming a more sustainable support system, which could also serve as platform for greater capacities in other social protection measures and for specific sectors in the community (women, children, elderly, etc) which they could diversify into.

8. Federating local assemblies in a municipality / city and facilitating their inclusion in participatory decision making processes of local government and its local special bodies as representative of the poor and vulnerable sectors, particularly in areas which affect them.

9. Extend technical assistance in the facilitation of family development sessions; coach and mentor parent leaders; enhance family development session modules and other training materials; assist in the training of community volunteers for KALAHI-CIDSS areas;



provide inputs on the development of KALAHI-CIDSS urban; provide business development services to SEA-K beneficiaries, which include skills and resource inventory, market study, product development, market access, and management of enterprises. The family development modules, in particular can be an avenue where partner NGOs can make substantive and meaningful contribution to the Pantawid Program. Embedded in the FDS is the transformation of values of heads of the families. Partner NGOs can help heads of the family learn how to prioritize the important and the urgent from what are not. And this could redound to the greater benefit of the family. Partner NGOs can follow the example set by the POPCOM (Commission on Population), which signed a MOA with DSWD to assume the trainers’ role for Module 5 (Responsible Parenthood) of the FDS in many provinces in the country. Partner NGOs in SOCSKSARGEN can also perform this role, considering their experience and expertise on this thematic issue. But it is yet undetermined if POPCOM would also assume this role in Region XII, if it would cover all the Pantawid Program municipalities, or only selected communities.

10. Partner with DSWD in anti-poverty programs such as livelihood and referral systems for employment opportunities; adopt centers / institutions to provide support for the residents by way of material and psychological support; adopt a “street corner” to respond to the needs of street families and street children; and advocate and organize the Barangay Council for the Protection of Children (BCPC) to undertake preventive measures on child trafficking and abuse.

11. Help in facilitating action, feedback and monitoring through assistance in the beneficiary updating system (BUS); assistance in the implementation of the Grievance Redress System (GRS); and document the experiences of KALAHI-CIDSS communities.

In addition, NGOs can also complement the role of LGUs in ensuring sufficiency in the supply side. Possible supply-side interventions for education are:

1. Provision of textbooks to elementary school pupils 2. Provision of workbooks to pre-school pupils 3. Provision of learning materials (crayons, pad papers) 4. Provision of teaching materials and accessories (visual aids, cut-outs, flow charts,

eraser, chalk, permanent markers, scissors, cutter, cartolina, cardboard, etc.) 5. Provision of testing/student evaluation materials (newsprint, etc) 6. Provision of mimeographing machine (municipal level) for reproducing test papers21

Possible supply-side interventions for health are:

1. Primary health care, including pre and post-natal care.

21 Many of the Pantawid Program barangays do not have electricity, or have partial electricity only, and, therefore cannot sustainably power any type of reproduction machine.



Network Building It would be beneficial for NGOs having social protection programs to organize themselves into a fixed network and identify a core set of focuses or “convergence areas” where all members of this network could agree to work together or complement one another on a grand, replicable and sustainable scale. This network could have as its core sectoral focus children, women and elders from IP and Moro communities, in consideration of the cultural and ethnic composition of the people living in the SOCSKSARGEN area. It could also design their primary programmatic thrusts to be attuned to the Pantawid Program of DSWD and collectively work on the enumerated areas of possible intervention presented in the previous page to complement the Pantawid Program. The network can also dovetail the support to the Pantawid Program with the other two core social protection programs of DSWD, Kalahi-CIDSS and SEA-K, as well as with the work around the BCPC formations in the issue of child trafficking and abuse, having the main goal of reducing exposure of children to social vulnerabilities. In terms of accurately targeting beneficiaries, the network can acquire access to the database of the NHTS-PR and identify the most vulnerable IP and Moro families and where they are located in the region. The database can be opened up to the network since it is geared to be a partner of the DSWD Regional Office in providing social protection services to the communities. The network is also classified as an end user, considering that the information it will take from the database would be towards implementing social protection and development interventions to the poorest households in the community. With its socio-economic database of poor households, the network can be assured of being able to target and identify the beneficiaries who most need social protection interventions. By doing so, a high level of synchronicity would have been established by the network, not only among its membership, not only with DSWD, but in the kind of interventions that they implement to poor and vulnerable communities.



ANNEX “A”

THE AREA OF COVERAGE The field study covered the area known as SOCSKSARGEN, which includes three provinces and one city, namely: 1) Sarangani, 2) Sultan Kudarat, 3) South Cotatabo and 4) General Santos City. SOCSKSARGEN covers most of the area of Region XII. The only areas not included in SOCSKSARGEN are Cotabato City and Cotabato Province. These are also not included in the field study. In Sarangani, the locations visited were: 1) Brgy. Poblacion, Alabel Municipality, and 2) Brgy. Pananag, Maasim Municipality. In Sultan Kudarat, the locations visited were: 1) Brgy. Kolong-kolong, Palimbang Municipality, 2) Brgy. Kanipaan, Palimbang Municipality, Brgy. Wal, Palimbang Municipality, and 2) Brgy. Tananzang, Lutayan. In South Cotabato, the locations visi ted were: 1) Brgy. Poblacion, Lake Sebu, 2) Brgy. Luhib, Lake Sebu, 3) Brgy. Reyes, Banga, and 4) Brgy. Ambalgan, Sto. Nino. In General Santos city, the locations visited were: 1) Brgy. Fatima, 2) Brgy. Tambler, 3) Brgy. San Jose, 4) Brgy. Apopong. A brief description of each location (province and particular municipalities) is presented as follows:

1. Sarangani is a province of the Philippines located in the SOCCSKSARGEN region in Mindanao. Its capital is Alabel and borders South Cotabato to the north and Davao del Sur to the east. Sarangani is part of the South Cotabato-Sultan Kudarat-Sarangani-Gen. Santos City (SOCSKSARGEN) development cluster, and is linked by paved roads to the international airport and world-class fish port of Gen. Santos City. Good roads and regular flights through Gen. Santos City allow the province easy access to Manila, Cebu, Davao City, as well as the rest of the Soccsksargen areas. Gen. Santos City’s airport has one of the country’s longest runways.



Sarangani is subdivided into 7 municipalities grouped into two parts, separated by the Sarangani Bay. The western part consists of Kiamba, Maasim, and Maitum, while the eastern part is composed of Alabel, Glan, Malapatan, and Malungon. It has a population of 475,514 as of 2007 and is ranked 18th in the 2006 survey of poorest provinces. The Indigenous Peoples (IPs) of Sarangani consist largely of Blaan, Tboli, Tagakaolo, Kalagan, Manobo/Ubo tribes of the total population. These indigenous cultural communities (ICCs) are among the most marginalized sectors of the society. This condition is attributed to a complex web of socio-economic politico-cultural problems and the most pressing of which are poverty, lack of access to basic services, possible of loss of ancestral lands/domains, and diminishing cultural heritage.

a. Alabel is a 1st class municipality in the

province of Sarangani. It is the capital municipality of Sarangani. It has a total land area of 51,098.27 hectares. According to the latest census, it has a population of 71,872 people in 12,312 households. The B’laan tribe predominate a number of upland barangays of Alabel. But they are also present in small pockets in the lower, more developed communities, such as Barangay Poblacion. It has 435 households that are beneficiaries of the Pantawid Program, particularly in Barangay Poblacion only.



b. Maasim is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Sarangani, Mindanao, Philippines. It has a total land area of 50,043.00 hectares. According to the latest census, it has a population of 49,274 people in 7,727 households.

It is bordered on the west by the munici pality of Kiamba, on the easy by Sarangani Bay, on the north by South Cotabato, and on the south by the Celebes Sea. The majority of the population is Moro from the Maguindanao tribe and Lumad from the B’laan tribe. One of the indigenous peoples living in mountainous areas of Maasim is known as Bla'an. It has 2,357 households that are beneficiaries of the Pantawid Program. All barangays of Maasim are enrolled in the 4Ps Program.

2. Sultan Kudarat is a province of the Philippines located in the SOCCSKSARGEN region in Mindanao. Its capital is Isulan and borders Maguindanao and Cotabato to the north, South Cotabato and Sarangani to the south, and Davao del Sur to the east, and the Celebes Sea to the west.



As of the 2000 census, Sultan Kudarat has a total population of 586,505. The province formerly had a Moro majority, but migrants now outnumber Moro and Lumad communities. Maguindanaons live in the coastal towns of the province. Tribal groups with settlements in the province include the B’laans, Tedurays and Manobo. The most dominant language is Teduray, though Hiligaynon (Ilonggo), Ilocano and Cebuano are spoken in some municipalities. Maguindanao is the local language of the Moro population. Sultan Kudarat is subdivided into 11 municipalities and 1 city. Three of the municipalities (Kalamansig, Lebak, and Palimbang) are coastal towns, while the rest of the province are located inland. Tacurong City is the smallest unit in the province in terms of land area, but it is the most urbanized, and is considered to be the province's commercial center. Other growth centers are Lebak and Isulan, the latter being the provincial capital. Bagumbayan is the largest town in terms of land area. The 11 municipalities and Tacurong City are further subdivided into 249 barangays. a. Palimbang is a 3rd class

municipality in the province of Sultan Kudarat, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 43,742 people in 8,191 households. Maguindanaons are predominant in the municipality. Manobos are numerous in the upland barangays. Only a few are Christian settlers. It has 6,738 households that are beneficiaries of the Pantawid Program. All barangays of Palimbang are enrolled in the 4Ps Program.



b. Lutayan is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Sultan Kudarat, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 40,881 people in 7,110 households. Maguindanaons are a majority in the municipality. The second most populous are the Christian migrants, who predominate a few barangays. Pockets of B’laan communities are also found, including one barangay which is purely B’laan. It has 4,326 households that are beneficiaries of the Pantawid Program. All 14 barangays of Lutayan are enrolled in the 4Ps Program.

3. South Cotabato is a province of the Philippines located in the SOCCSKSARGEN region in

Mindanao. Its capital is Koronadal City, and it borders Sultan Kudarat to the north and west, Sarangani to the south and east, and Davao del Sur to the east. To the southeast lies Sarangani Bay. The people of South Cotabato have diverse heritages. Ilonggos from Panay and Negros in the Visayas settled the municipalities of Norala, Banga, Surallah, Sto. Niño and the province's capital, Koronadal, yet T'boli is the province's major communication media. On the other hand, people from the Ilocano speaking regions of Luzon settled in Tampakan, Tantangan and Tupi, and the Ilocano language may still be heard spoken in these towns. The Visayan language, Cebuano is also the main ethnic ethnolinguistic group of the municipality of Polomolok and is one of the main ethnolinguistic groups of Tupi (along with Ilonggo and Tagalog, which slightly differs from Manila Tagalog; T'boli is their mother tongue nowadays). Both towns are near to General Santos City. The Maguindanao tribe is the major Moro tribe in the province. They are found in Upper Sipaka, Surallah, in Ambalgan, Sto Nino, and in Lambah and Upper Lambukay, Banga. a. Lake Sebu is a 2nd class

municipality in the province of South Cotabato, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 54,142 people in 11,158 households. The lake's shores and the surrounding rainforest are home to



the indigenous T'bolis, Tedurays, Ubos and Manobos. One of the major tribes, the T'bolis are known for their weaving skills and brassware production as well as fishing skills. The rest of the population are made up of majority settlers. It has 4,381 households that are beneficiaries of the Pantawid Program. All barangays of Lake Sebu are enrolled in the 4Ps Program.

b. Banga is a 1st class municipality in the province of South Cotabato, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 69,131 people in 14,101 households. Settlers are a majority in the municipality. There is a substantial presence of T’boli and Maguindanaon in the barangays as well. It has 3773 households that are beneficiaries of the Pantawid Program. All barangays of Lake Sebu are enrolled in the 4Ps Program.

4. The City of General Santos (abbreviated G.S.C. or GenSan) is the southern most port

city of the Republic of the Philippines. It is one of the most populous urban centres in the country with a population of 529,542 as per data of 2007 census. GenSan is bounded by municipalities of Sarangani Province namely Alabel in the East of the city, and Maasim in the South. The city is likewise bounded by South Cotabato municipality of Polomolok and Sarangani Province municipality of Malungon in the North, and the municipality of T'boli in the West of the city. General Santos City is a component of province South Cotabato. Settlers are a majority in the city. But there is a significant presence of Maguindanaon Muslims in such barangays as Tambler, Fatima, Bawing, Seguil, Apopong, Buayan, Baluan, Tinagakan, Katangawan and Labangal. The indigenous B’laans and T’bolis are found in San Jose, Ligaya, Olympog, Ligaya, Sinawal and Calumpang. Despite it being classified as a highly urbanized city, it has 8,556 households that are beneficiaries of the Pantawid



Program. 11 barangays of the city are enrolled in the 4Ps Program. a. Brgy Fatima is an urban barangay of General Santos City. It has a total population

of 67,309. It has 475 households that are beneficiaries of the Pantawid Program. The barangay has as majority the Christian settlers. About 15% of the population are Maguindanaon, and about 7% are from the B’laan tribe.

b. Brgy. San Jose is a rural barangay of General Santos City. It has a total population of 7,651. It has 526 households that are beneficiaries of the Pantawid Program.

The barangay has a majority shared between the B’laan and the T’Boli, though the T’boli are located along the northwestern boundaries, near the municipality of T’Boli. There is also a minority population of settlers residing in the area, mostly Ilonggo.

c. Brgy. Tambler is a rural barangay of General Santos City. It has a total population of 9,189. It has 629 households that are beneficiaries of the Pantawid Program. The majority population of the barangay is shared between the Maguindanaon tribe and the majority settlers. There is also a minority population of B’laan residing in the area.



ANNEX “B”

THE NATIONAL HOUSEHOLD TARGETING SYSTEM FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION (NHTS-PR)

The NHTS-PR is an information management system that identifies who and where the poor are. Its implementation is spearheaded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). NHTS-PR aims to establish a socio-economic database of households that will be used in identifying the beneficiaries of national social protection programs. More importantly, it seeks to reduce the problems of leakage or inclusion of non-poor and at the same time lessen exclusion or under-coverage of the poor in social protection programs. Basis for a Targeting System Recent studies cited by the World Bank have revealed that poorly targeted social services result in exclusion of the poor from necessary social services and the waste of resources on those who are not actually poor. Poverty alleviation programs do not ensure that the poor really enjoy or receive benefits. In order to address poverty effectively and use limited resources efficiently, the government has adopted social protection as its core strategy. As part of the government’s key steps to address major lapses in its social protection policies, the DSWD implemented the Social Welfare and Development Reform Program (SWDRP), which aims to improve the outcome of SWD services and service delivery by undertaking four (4) Reform Areas: 1) Leading in social protection, 2) Providing faster and better service delivery of social protection programs, 3) Financial reforms to sustain the reform process, and 4) Improving systems for service delivery. Thus the creation of the NHTS-PR. What is the NHTS-PR

1. Aims to contribute to the rationalization of the government’s social protection programs and lead to an equitable distribution of resources and services to the poor.

2. Seeks to reduce exclusion and inclusion problems in social protection programs. 3. Makes it possible for National Government Agencies and even Local Government Units

and Non-Government Organizations to determine beneficiaries of their programs using objective and standard parameters.

4. As a planning tool, it provides household level data on almost 6,500 permutations of its 34 variables in subsets of three correlated variables. For example, the NHTS-PR can tell which households with women aged 60 and above who are still engaged in agricultural activities.

5. As a validation tool, it serves as mechanism for validating data on poverty produced by other sources such as but not limited to Community-Based management System (CBMS), or other locally-driven data collection activities especially when they cover the same areas and very similar sets of data under the same time frame.



This system aims to build a socio-economic database of poor households to ensure that qualified beneficiaries will receive the social protection services they need. Thus, the DSWD saw the need to adopt a household targeting system for poverty reduction for its social protection programs and services. NHTS-PR does not compete with other databases. Instead it works to complement these efforts of identifying areas and individuals who really need to be empowered and be reached by government services. Administration and Methodology of the Targeting System The NHTS-PR covers four phases:

Phase 1 – Preparatory Phase First is the selection of areas based on poverty incidence by provinces, municipalities and barangays, i.e. geographical targeting. The process identifies where the poor are. Initially, the DSWD uses the 2006 Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) of the National Statistics Office (NSO) to select the poorest provinces, the 2003 Small Area Estimates (SAE) of NSCB for the poorest municipalities, and gradually slides to the next LGU ranked according to poverty incidence.

1. Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) – A survey implemented by National

Statistical Office (NSO) in 2006. In the selection of target areas for the implementation of the program, priority was given to the 20 poorest provinces based on this survey. Further, the poorest province in the regions which are not included in the 20 poorest were likewise considered to ensure a regional spread/nationwide implementation.

2. The Small Area Estimates (SAE) – A list developed by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) used to select the municipalities in the poorest provinces

Geographical Targeting

Household Assessment (Enumeration)

Selection of Poor Beneficiaries thru Proxy Means Test

Eligibility Check

1.

2.

3.

4.

Selection of areas to be surveyed based on Poverty Incidence (NSCB data)

Assess all houses in areas selected based on geographical targeting

Income is estimated through proxy variables of the socio-economic conditions of the household instead of asking directly about their income

Identification of 4Ps beneficiaries (i.e. households with pregnant women and or children 0-14 years old



identified in the FIES. Cities shall be selected using the list of poor areas issued by the National Anti- Poverty Commission (NAPC).

3. In consultation with the Local Government Units (LGUs) – Selection of barangays only applied in urban areas and was based on the availability of supply side on health and education based on the results of the supply side assessment conducted by the regional office. Likewise, consultation with the planning office of the concerned Local Government Unit was done to ensure that the barangays identified for the 4Ps implementation would not be affected by any development projects that may lead to the relocation of residents for at least the three years after commencement of the Program.

If poverty incidence in a municipality is higher than 50%, all barangays are to be assessed and enumerated. If poverty incidence is lower than 50%, barangays are selected based on local socio-economic indicators for pockets of poverty. On-demand application for enumeration is made upon request by such entities as LGUs when there is question on the veracity of the state of poverty of those identified as poor therein. This is done after total enumeration has been done that area, but not before. Phase 2 – Data Collection and Analysis Phase The second phase is the household assessment or the identification of who the poor are. Contrary to popular perception, the target beneficiaries of the 4Ps are not identified by the local government chief executives. All the households in the identified areas (and where there are pockets of poverty) are assessed through house-to-house interviews using the Household Assessment Form (HAF). The HAF is a two-page questionnaire with 34 variables that are readily verifiable by a number of enumerators, such as household composition, education of household members, employment, housing structure (construction materials of the roof and walls), and ownership of assets, etc. The selected variables are considered good proxies for income. Eligible households for the program shall meet the following qualifications:

1. Residents of the municipalities and barangays identified as areas of implementation of

the 4Ps. 2. Selected by the statistical formula (Proxy Means Test) developed for the program and

belongs to the extremely poor household classification. 3. Household with children 0 - 14 years old or with pregnant woman at the time of

selection.

Prior to the conduct of household assessment, proper orientation on the use of the household assessment tool shall be undertaken. The household assessments are done either through complete saturation (meaning all households in a locality are enumerated) or through pockets of poverty (which only covers a segment of the community based on a set of ten indicators). On demand application applies to these pockets of poverty that may be left out by this identification phase.



After the household assessment, the HAFs are encoded using a standardized software application (PhP and MySQL) developed for the easy encoding of data on the household. Once all data in the municipality is entered into the system and is certified complete by the local government, it is then entered into the Proxy Mean Test (PMT) application module that calculates the income of the household, based on the assessment. The Household Assessment Tool covers the necessary information to run the Proxy Means Test that identifies/determines the poorest of the poor in the target areas. The Proxy-Means Test assesses socio-economic characteristics such as: 1. Ownership of assets/appliances; 2. Type of housing unit; 3. Level of educational attainment of household heads; and 4. Access to water and sanitation facilities.

The information to calculate the Proxy Means Test is collected through household assessments and encoded online at the regional level and transmitted to DSWD nationally. The result of the Proxy Means Test is a ranking for each household based on their approximate income with reference to the municipal/provincial poverty threshold. Phase 3 – Data Validation Phase The third phase consists in the validation and finalization of the list of poor households through the creation of the Local Verification Committee that will conduct spot checks and assist in managing complaints and grievances in terms of possible exclusion and inclusion errors. These activities are aimed at ensuring the integrity of the database, so all qualified poor households are captured by the system. On-demand Application (ODA) provides opportunity for households who were not assessed during the regular enumeration to apply for an assessment to be included on the list of poor households. The targets of this activity are the households in areas covered by NHTS-PR and the pockets of poverty who think they are poor, but were not included in the previously conducted enumeration. Validation assesses and authenticates the preliminary list of poor and non-poor households. A Local Verification Committee (LVC) is created to address or act on all the complaints raised during the validation period. In both ODA and Validation, the area supervisors are tasked to receive on-demand applications and validation complaints or queries. On demand application and validation are aimed at ensuring the integrity of the database, wherein all the qualified poor households are captured by the system.



Phase 4 – Data Report Phase The last phase is on report-generation and information-sharing. It is in this phase that NHTS-PR is shared with potential end-users, such as government agencies and private social protection stakeholders, so they can be provided with a reference for identifying program beneficiaries. The database will provide the stakeholders a reference in identifying the beneficiaries of their programs. The database can also be used for academic and research purposes. Data users will be charged with a minimal user’s fee according to the data requirements. The fee will cover the cost of generating the requested data and will be determined during the preparation of the Memorandum of Agreement. Agencies/programs that will use the NHTS-PR database will review the shared data and provide appropriate feedback to DSWD.



ANNEX “C”

PROCEDURES AND MECHANICS OF THE PANTAWID PAMILYANG PILIPINO PROGRAM

To effectively implement the program, a well designed and efficient program procedures and mechanics are needed to serve as guides to local implementers. This will help define and delineate roles and responsibilities of the local government implementers, ensure availability of the demand-side on health, nutrition, education and support services for the beneficiaries in order to achieve success in program implementation. Implementing Procedures According to Administrative Order No. 16, Series of 2008, the following illustration describes the cycle of implementation of the Pantawid Program: Targeting The National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR)22 The Philippine government had been using various targeting tools for its programs and projects, resulting in a fragmented and uncoordinated approach by government agencies on the issue of social protection. A study conducted by the World Bank revealed that poorly targeted social

22 Please refer to Annex “B” for a detailed explanation about the NHTS-PR.

1 Selection of Provinces / Municipalities

2 Supply Side Assessment

3 Selection of Families

4 Organization of Assemblies

5 Family Registry Preparation

6 First Payment

7 Verification of Compliance

with Conditions

8 Second

Succeeding Release

Conduct of sessions on family planning, PES and others



services result in the unnecessary exclusion of the poor from critical social services and waste resources on those who are actually not poor. A national targeting system was therefore necessary to ensure that the limited resources of the government were equitably distributed to the poor. With the system, savings and benefit-level of all social protection programs became possible. Thus the NHTS-PR came to being. The National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) is a data management system that identifies who and where the poor are in the country. Specifically, the system aims to:

• Formulate a unified criteria for the selection of the poorest population • Facilitate the sharing of solid database for public and private social protection

stakeholders; and • Reduce leakages (exclusion and under-coverage of poor, as well as inclusion of non-

poor). A number of policy issuances have been formulated in support of the NHTS-PR. These are:

• Executive Order 867 (series of 2010), “Providing for the Adoption of the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction as the Mechanism for Identifying Poor Households who shall be Recipients of Social Protection Programs Nationwide";

• National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Memorandum Circular No. 1, (series of 2009), "Directing All Anti-Poverty Programs and Projects (APPs) to Focus on the One Million Poor Households as Beneficiaries"; and

• National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) Resolution No. 18 (series of 2009), "Recognizing and Enjoining Support to the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction being Implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development as a Tool to Identify Beneficiaries of Social Protection Programs."

After the issuance of Executive Order No. 867 on March 9, 2010, all National Government Agencies (NGAs) were directed to adopt the NHTS-PR as a mechanism in identifying who and where the poor household who shall be the recipients of social protection programs are. This effectively replaced all other sources of data, surveys and lists previously used in targeting poor households. E.O. 867 also designated the DSWD as responsible for maintaining the system and serving as the repository of the data on poor households and shall update the data every four (4) years. Supply Side Assessment A supply side assessment is conducted upon identification of the target areas using the supply side assessment tool on health and education. The supply side assessment aims to determine the readiness of the city/municipal local government units in ensuring delivery of priority health and education services for the target poor households. Prior to the conduct of assessment, an orientation of the local government units on the mechanics and tools on supply side is also conducted.



Organizing of Initial Community Assembly (Validation and Registration Day) When the household beneficiaries have already been identified, the community assembly in the barangay is undertaken. The main thrusts of the initial community assembly include identification and validation of potential beneficiaries and orientation about the program particularly on the conditionalities to be able to continue to qualify under the program. They are also briefed on the process of the community assembly. The conduct of the initial community assembly shall be initiated by the regional office in close coordination with the local government units. During the initial community assembly, the potential beneficiaries are oriented well on the conditionalities of the program as follows:

1. Pregnant women must get pre natal care starting from the 1st trimester, child birth is attended by skilled/trained professional, get post natal care thereafter

2. Parents / guardians must attend family planning sessions/mother's class, Parent Effectiveness Service and others

3. Children 0-5 years of age get regular preventive health check ups and vaccines 4. Children 3-5 years old must attend day care program/preschool 5. Children 6-14 years of age are enrolled in schools and attend at least 85% of the time

Other Duties And Responsibilities of Household Grantees

1. Attend meetings and group sessions and coordinate with Pantawid Program parent-leader on concerns relative to the program in the community such as schedules of release of cash grants and information on household information such as address, stopping of children in school or transfer to other school.

2. Attend parenting education sessions with the spouse and other related seminars for Pantawid Program beneficiaries

3. Provide regular update on meeting the conditionalities of the program to the Pantawid Program mother-leader as part of verification

Beneficiaries are basically organized into groups of 25 to 30 members called community assemblies. A community assembly is a public gathering of Pantawid Program beneficiaries to facilitate open discussion and feed backing among Pantawid Program household head / grantee beneficiaries. This assembly is a strategy to bring all concerns of the household grantees to the overall operation of the program. It promotes peer support and facilitates monitoring in terms of compliance with the conditionalities on health and education. It helps establish and encourage unity and cooperation; and as the household head/grantee beneficiaries meet and share individual and group concerns, they have opportunity to analyze and solve problems together which help build trust, support and involvement. The community assembly serves also as a means to capture and facilitate resolution of grievances and complaints about the program as well as other problems encountered by the Pantawid Program beneficiaries needing social work interventions. Response to problems



related to program delivery and problems related to the beneficiaries and in their community will be better addressed by having the parents or the household head/grantee beneficiaries themselves mobilized in solving their problems and meeting their needs. The conduct of the community aims to elicit the active participation of household head grantees most of whom are women. The latter used to play an indirect role in the development of the community, but this time, they serve as primary movers, being volunteers and leaders in their own community. The community assembly functions as a local mechanism that help facilitatesand strengthen program implementation. Family Registry Preparation Oath of Commitment All potential beneficiaries who agreed to participate in the Program are made to sign the Oath of Commitment. The oath signifies the co-responsibility between the government and the beneficiaries to strengthen the commitment to invest in human capital and to improve lives of the family-beneficiaries and their children. The Oath of Commitment is signed by the beneficiary upon registration into the program to signify his/her duty to comply with the conditionalities that are anchored on health and education. The oath is encoded in Filipino on a long bond paper. After affixing their signatures (and for some municipalities with very active Municipal Links, even ID sized pictures on the upper right hand corner of the document), the beneficiaries are enjoined to laminate the entire document, so that it is preserved for the duration of the 5-year contract. Land Bank Cash Card Issuance of Pantawid Program identification cards would also be undertaken including enrollment to the Land Bank Cash Card Program. The Cash Card is a card with stored value also known as a Prepaid Debit card. It is a non-interest bearing account. The card is honored in any establishment with Expressnet logo. The cardholder can withdraw from any Land Bank or Expressnet, Megalink, BancNet member bank’s ATM. The DSWD in coordination with the Advisory Council composed of DepEd, DOH, DILG, NAPC and the LGU representatives at the national, regional and municipal levels will verify compliance every 2 months using monitoring tools developed for this purpose. Provision of Program Package Upon registration of household beneficiaries, appropriate program package shall be determined based on the qualified number of children in the household particularly on education grant.



Based on the registry, the Project Management Office will make the payment lists and the amounts to be paid. The first cash transfer shall be made upon signing by mothers of the agreement to participate and comply with the conditionalities. Releasing / Disbursement of Cash Grants For Health grant, P 500.00/month per household shall be given or a total of P6,000.00/year. For Education grant, 3-14 years old children enrolled at the Day Care Program/Pre-school and elementary education shall receive P300.00/month for 10 months or a total of P3, 000.00 in a year with a maximum of 3 children per household. Thus, household with 3 children shall receive P1,400.00 per month and those with one or 2 children shall receive P800.00 and P1,100.00 per month respectively. The 1st cash transfer is considered as a bonus, as release of the cash grant package does not require the verification of any of the conditions. Subsequent cash transfers are made every two months subject to verification of compliance to conditionalities as specified in the agreement. This scheme particularly applies to beneficiaries who have been under the Program longer (Set 1 and most Set 2 barangays). For Set 3 barangays, money is released once every three months (or per quarter), with a disbursement value covering two months (except the month when the grant was released). Beginning January – February 2011, the releasing of cash grants every two months was implemented in all 4P areas. DSWD claims this releasing scheme is used as a preventive measure to avoid unnecessary spending on the part of the head of the family. Monitoring and Verification of Compliance Compliance of beneficiaries to the conditionalities set forth by the program shall be monitored by the DSWD Program Management Office. A monitoring and verification mechanism shall be installed in all schools and health centers where children beneficiaries of education grant and mothers are availing education and health services. Focal persons in each school and health centers shall be identified to assist the beneficiaries to enroll and access to this monitoring and verification system. Compliance refers to carrying out the specific conditionalities on health and education by the household grantee. Non-compliance to any of the conditionalities may have corresponding repercussion which may lead to termination from the program.



Succeeding Releases The DSWD-Project Management Office is responsible in the consolidation of reports on monitoring and verification of compliance of household's beneficiaries. The results of verification shall be used to determine the amount of subsequent release of cash grants to beneficiaries. Regular Conduct of Community Assemblies Regular community assembly shall be conducted in the barangay to bring all concerns of the household grantees to the overall operation of the program. In the conduct of community assembly, a cluster of 20-30 household grantees in a neighborhood are organized to form into a group called assembly. The conduct of the community assembly shall aim primarily to monitor compliance of household grantees to program conditionalities, remind household grantees of their commitments and responsibilities, facilitate activities and interventions needed by the household members and the community in general, facilitate grievances and complaints and facilitate the conduct of sessions on family planning, mother's class, parent effectiveness seminars and other parenting education activities. Community assembly is scheduled to be done twice a month. There are eight (8) modules to the Family Development Sessions (8). They are:

1. Module 1: Understanding Myself and My Family 2. Module 2: Child and Maternal Care 3. Module 3: Child Development 4. Module 4: Building Child Positive Behavior 5. Module 5: Responsible Parenthood 6. Module 6: Laws Affecting the Philippine Family 7. Module 7: Gender and Development 8. Module 8: Home Management

Organization of Grievance Committee To provide quick access to and due process in resolving noncompliance and complaints and to promote a graft-free program by evolving a transparent approach in resolving grievances particular to meeting the conditionalities of the program, a grievance committee shall be organized at the national, regional and municipal levels. The National Grievance Committee is composed of DSWD, DepEd, DOH, NAPC,DILG and DBM. The Program Director serves as the Chairman. It shall have the functions of reviewing and conducting investigation filed by the Regional Grievance Committee. It shall act on and provide decisions and recommendations on cases endorsed at the national level particularly on cancellation/termination of household grantees resulting from 3rd instance of non-compliance to program conditionalities as well as provide technical assistance on matters filed at the regional level.



The Regional Grievance Committee composed of Regional Director from DSWD, DepEd, DOH, DILG and the Provincial Social Welfare Officer. DSWD Director chairs the Regional Grievance Committee. It shall monitor the progress of compliance to conditionalities on filed cases at the municipal level and shall monitor resolution of grievances, disputes, comments and complaints of cases filed at the municipal level. The Regional Grievance Committee shall serve as the main repository of intake forms on all grievances at the municipal level, and conduct quarterly ex-post facto review of at least 10% of all decisions made at the municipal level. The Regional Grievance Committee provides decisions pertaining to suspension in cases of 2nd instance of non -compliance to Pantawid Program conditionalities. The Regional Grievance Committee shall likewise forward to the National Grievance Committee cases recommended for termination. The Municipal Grievance Committee is composed of City/Municipal Social Welfare Officer, Municipal Health Officer, Municipal Link(s)23, School Principal and Parent Leader of the Concerned Barangay. It shall receive filed cases of non-compliance to APP conditionalities from any of the members of the community. It shall provide clarifications and resolutions to any form of complaints and problems from the household grantees and/or between and among the grantees and any member from the community, and shall refer and file unresolved cases at the regional level on cases of suspension. SANCTIONS FOR NON-COMPLIANCE ON PROGRAM CONDITIONALITIES By household beneficiaries Failure to comply with any of the conditionalities will result in the following sanctions:

1. First offense of non-compliance to any of the conditionalities on health and education: Beneficiaries will not receive the grant for that specific month and will be given a written warning to remind them of financial repercussions of their noncompliance.

2. Second offense of non-compliance: Beneficiaries will continue not to receive grant and will receive a warning to remind them of financial repercussions of their continued non-compliance. Cash grants will be withheld beginning the next payment period until the conditionalities are complied with and the beneficiary's record updated. They will then be referred to the municipal/city social welfare and development officer for counseling and other interventions.

3. Third offense of non-compliance: The beneficiary will not receive the grant and will be temporarily suspended from the program. An appeal for reconsideration may be filed through the Grievance Redress Committee within three months from the date of suspension. If the appeal has been accepted, the parents shall be required to attend a re-orientation on their roles as beneficiaries, sign a new Oath of Commitment, and attend any counseling sessions provided by the Municipal Social Welfare Office before the suspension is lifted and the household is reinstated in the payroll. Retroactive payment shall only apply to the month covered by the payroll. After three months of

23 Every Municipal Link is assigned about 1,000 beneficiaries from between two to four barangays.



temporary suspension with no act of appeal, the household beneficiary will be terminated from the program.

4. Fourth offense of non-compliance: This shall lead to termination of the education or health grant. A written notice shall be issued to the household and appeals shall no longer be considered after termination.

5. Non-compliance with any of the health conditionalities will result in proportionate deductions to the number of applicable conditions not met. The whole grant on health may only be restored upon the compliance of the beneficiary. The basis will be as follows: a. For pregnant women in household at the moment of the registration in the Pantawid

Program — conditions are to attend pre-natal and postnatal check-ups as required in DOH protocol and give birth assisted by trained health worker.

b. For children 0–5 years of age-conditions are to attend regular health checkups, controls and get vaccinations according to the DOH protocol.

c. For children 6–14 years old will receive deworming pills twice a year. d. For the household grantee or the spouse to attend family development sessions or

responsible parenthood sessions.

6. In case of non-compliance, the specific month or period not complied with by the household beneficiary will be applied as basis for non-payment.

7. Suspension in the case of a household that does not comply with applicable health conditions in any given month will not receive payments for the said month and will receive a written warning for temporary suspension of the program.

8. Suspension in the case of a household that does not comply with education grant in any given month of the quarter for two consecutive quarters will not receive payments for the said month of non-compliant children and will receive a written warning for temporary suspension.

9. Compliance with the education grant is treated on a per-child basis. As such, sanctions shall be applied only to the child not in compliance with any of the conditionalities.

10. Other reasons for termination in the Pantawid Program include: a. Giving false or misleading information at any part of data collection, including

information about compliance with program conditionalities and the fulfillment of other responsibilities.

b. The transfer of residence to another municipality or barangay outside the area of program coverage.

11. Any failure to collect the transfer of cash grant for two consecutive payment periods will be grounds for validation and investigation. Sanctions will be determined and applied based on the results of the investigation and the recommendations of the grievance and redress committee.



By Local Government Unit (LGU)

1. Municipalities that cannot comply with the supply-side requirements on both health and education will be given 6 months to 1 year in which to comply with the conditionalities. Continued non-compliance even after the prescribed period will result in the termination of all program activities in those areas as stipulated in the memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed between the LGU and DSWD following the supply side assessment.

2. Any reported LGU violations will be dealt with and due process will be undertaken in accordance with the MOA and existing laws.

3. The program will be suspended in municipalities/barangays where after the inception of the program, the supply of services ceases to be adequate as indicated by. a. The failure to address any deficiencies in the barangay health and education services

within 6 months of their detection. b. Education and/or health complaints indicate that over 20% of households are unable

to comply with program requirements due to the absence of teachers and and/or medical personnel.

c. The LGU ceases to collaborate with the program by then on-fulfillment of commitments made, including (but not limited to: (a) the non-designation of a focal person at the municipal level to assist the municipal link; and/or (b) not having office space in which to receive and process queries and updates from as well as complaints by program beneficiaries.

d. The misuse and misrepresentation of Pantawid Program, including (but not limited) to: i. Obtaining the favor and patronage of household beneficiaries for purposes other

than the program's; and ii. Imposing other obligations and conditionalities outside those stipulated in the

implementing guidelines. EXIT STRATEGY Exit in the program is governed by rules to define the specific circumstances under which a household beneficiary or a local government unit will graduate or exit from the program. Beneficiary Level Exit of the beneficiary according to age. When the youngest child reaches the age of 15 at any time during the school year, he or she will continue to receive the education grant until the school year ends and/or when his or her household will cease to be a beneficiary of Pantawid Program. Exit due to non-compliance of beneficiary. Non-compliance with program conditionalities three times in a year by a grant recipient will be subject for delisting in the program as specified



in the previous paragraphs on sanctions for non-compliance on program conditionalities by household beneficiaries. Exit due to misuse of grants. Misuse of grants by the grant recipients or members of the household will be subject for resolution at the grievance redress committee, and may lead to potential delisting in the program. LGU Level Non-compliant and/or violation of program rules. Beneficiaries and LGUs found to be non-compliant with the rules and regulations of the program such as adding of conditionalities to the beneficiaries or not addressing the supply-side concerns of the program as specified in the MOA will be sanctioned according to previous paragraph on sanctions for non-compliance on supply side. Misuse and misrepresentation of the program. LGUs not in compliance or that are misusing or misrepresenting the program despite 2 written warnings and provision of technical assistance will be referred to the Pantawid Program national advisory committee for appropriate action or resolutions including potential suspension or termination of the program as well as endorsing / recommending other sanctions/ penalties in accordance with appropriate provisions of existing laws and/or administrative orders.



ANNEX “D”

THE PROXY MEANS TEST PMT, or Proxy Means Test is a method that estimates household income using observable and verifiable indicators. These variables were identified through the R Square Test which computes for the percentage strength of a variable as indicator of income. A good indicator of income must have 60% or higher percentage to be able to explain well the household income. The test showed that the variables used by NHTS-PR for the urban model have 66% while those used for the rural model have 70%. Some of the good proxies of income include family composition, education of household members, housing conditions and access to basic services. The PMT model estimates household income using proxy variable weights which is then multiplied by the type of answer (yes or no), etc. of the respondent in the Household Assessment Form. The estimated income is then ranked according to the poverty threshold that identifies poor and non-poor households. PMT allows accurate measures of income without using long questionnaires and easily manipulated variables. PMT is a proven effective targeting mechanism in countries like Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Brazil and Mexico.



ANNEX “E”

THE COMPLIANCE VERIFICATION SYSTEM (CVS)

This is a system that monitors how faithfully the beneficiaries comply to the conditions set by the 4Ps program. It processes compliance data until it is ultimately used as basis for payment. Objectives of CVS

1. To monitor all beneficiaries’ compliance to conditions of the program; 2. To provide a regular feedback on the beneficiaries’ status relative on compliance to

conditions; 3. To provide a basis for periodic payment of grants; 4. To submit a quarterly report of compliance;

Significance of CVS

1. Enables the program implementor to gather performance data of the beneficiaries 2. Provides an insight on the level of understanding of field implementors as to the

mechanics and rationale of the CVS 3. Gives cursory view of the effectiveness of the support group centers 4. Provides a quarterly data on compliance at the same time provides a solid basis for

subsequent payment of grants 5. Provides valuable information on the readiness of the area in terms of supply side 6. Provide useful information for impact evaluation

The Compliance Verification System Process Flow



The Six Steps. The Compliance Verification System (CVS) is a six-step cyclical process that cuts through all levels (National (PMO), Regional (RPMO), and Municipality/City), involving the following steps:

1. Generation of Compliance Verification (CV) Forms. The NPMO/MIS generates the CV Forms (see below) based on the database of beneficiaries and makes them available over the internet to RPMOs and cities/municipalities. The NPMO then sends a soft copy (in PDF format) to the RPMOs within 15 days of the first month in the reporting quarter.

2. Distribution to the health centers or units and schools and day-care centers (by the RPMO). The CV forms are printed by the RPMOs and sent to the cities and municipalities within seven (7) days from receipt of soft copies. [Note: in a fully developed computerized system, the RPMOs is able to access the main database and verification module online and download forms over a wide area network with the NPMO.] The city/municipal links will distribute the printed forms to the health centers and schools in their respective areas in the last week of the first month of the reporting quarter.

3. Monitoring of non-compliance by beneficiaries. The school principal and health center officer act as focal persons on education and health, respectively, for the monthly monitoring and recording of non-compliance incidences on the corresponding CV Forms. The focal persons must submit accomplished CV Forms to the city/municipal link with 15 days of the month immediately after the reported quarter.

4. Collection of non-compliance reports. The municipal/city link collects the

accomplished CV Forms from the health centers/units and schools/day-care centers within 15 days of the month immediately after the reported quarter. The link collects CV Forms 2, 3 and 4 (see below). The city/municipal link then encodes the non-compliance reports into the CVS program developed by the NPMO/MIS, and forwards both the electronic and hard copies to the RPMO. [Note: in a fully developed computerized system, municipalities and cities with internet facilities can access the database online to process the forms directly. Those without have the option of processing the database off-line, and sending the forms to the RPMO for processing online.]

5. Processing of payments based on compliance. The RPMOs reviews the noncompliance data and submits it to the NPMO/MIS to serve as the basis for preparing the payroll for that quarter. This is accomplished by the end of the month immediately following the reporting quarter. The RPMOs, upon receipt of the CV Forms from municipalities that are off-line, will input non-attendance records into the program for the reporting period. Payments shall be made by the middle of the second month after the report quarter.

6. Updating of the data base prior to the generation of CV Forms for the next reporting quarter.



CV Forms The content of the various forms to be accomplished for compliance verification and updating of the database is as follows:

1. Form 1-Master List of Beneficiaries. This is the roster of the current beneficiaries of the program. This form, which is continuously being updated as needed, serves as the master list of beneficiaries and is generated by the NPMO. A master list is printed out per barangay and distributed to the city/municipal link by the RPMO.

2. Form 2-Verification of Compliance for Education. This form provides the household ID numbers and names of the children aged 0-5 and 6-14 who are beneficiaries of the educational grant. It reports incidences of non-compliance with the required 85% school attendance rate and the administration of deworming pills to children 6-14 years old. The form will be filled out by the school head or focal person on education.

3. Form 3-Verification of Compliance for Health. This provides the household ID numbers, names of pregnant women, names of children 0-5 years old, records of non-compliance with the conditionalities on health, and any history of miscarriage. The form is filled out by the health midwife.

4. Form 4-Family Development Session. Form 4 provides verification of the attendance of household grantees in family development sessions. It indicates the household ID number of the beneficiaries and the names of the health grantees not in compliance with the health grant requirements. The primary user of the form is the city/municipal link or the LGU link with the assistance of parent/mother leaders.



ANNEX “F”

BENEFICIARY UPDATING SYSTEM Purpose The primary purpose of the UPDATE is to gather, validate, report and record the changes that occurred on the status or condition of any member of the beneficiary household while under the program. It helps to monitor the amount of cash grant that was originally given to a beneficiary household based on certain criteria exacted during the household survey, followed by the Proxy Means Test which the potential beneficiaries have hurdled. The update also determines the amount of money the beneficiary household will receive from time to time and serves as one of the basis whether to continue, suspend or terminate the grant. The continuity of the cash grant is dependent on two dimensions as follows:

1. How the beneficiaries abide by the conditionalities as would be monitored through the Compliance and Verification System (CVS).

2. The change/s on the status/condition of each beneficiary household which would be reflected in the Update Report.

Types of Updates All updates must be accompanied by the appropriate supporting documents. The information and documents provided by the household grantee must be true and genuine. Any false declaration and/or documentation submitted in support of an update will be sufficient ground for the removal of the update and/or suspension of the grant. Beneficiary households must report any and all changes in the status and/or household composition resulting from a number of different circumstances as follows: Type of Update Short Description Supporting Documents

(Most Recent) Newborn Baby Mother was pregnant at the

time of assessment, and has since given birth.

Birth Certificate (National Statistics Office)

Change of Address The household moves to another residence within the barangay.

Certification from Barangay Captain

Change of Barangay / City / Municipality

The household moves to another barangay / city / municipality within the area of program coverage.

Certification from previous Parent leaders and Municipal Link Certification from receiving barangay

Change of Servicing Health The household decides to go Enrollment Certificate from



Unit (Health Center, Rural Health Unit, or Barangay Health Station)

to a different health unit or station

the new health center / unit or station signed by the MHO

Change of School The household decides to send their child / children to other school / s

Proof of Enrollment from receiving school signed by the principal or head teacher

New Enrollment The household decides to enroll a child aged 6-14 years old as new student

Proof of Enrollment from receiving school signed by the principal or head teacher

Change of Beneficiary/Household Grantee

The household decides to change their grantee due to her demise, long absence from home, poor health, advanced age, etc.

Certification or Letter of Authorization from Parent Leader and Barangay Captain, and/or other relevant documents

Death of a Household Member The death of a beneficiary, whether a pregnant woman or child aged 0-14 years old

Death Certificate

Departure or Return of Children

Legitimate children aged 0-14 years old of a household grantee either leave or join the household

Birth Certificate; Certificate of Enrollment (if aged 6-14 years old); Certification of Enrollment at Health Center (if aged 0-5 years old)

Correction of Basic Information, i.e., Name, Sex, Date of Birth, etc.

Typographical errors in the names, sex, date of birth, etc.

Birth Certificate (National Statistics Office)

Qualified Beneficiary Excluded from CVS Form for Health and/or Education

The names of children aged 0-14 old are not in the compliance forms distributed to health centers and/or schools

Certificates of Enrollment from the health center and/or school signed by Department Head or School Principal



ANNEX “G”

THE GRIEVANCE AND REDRESS SYSTEM

The principles used in the GRS are:

1. Simplicity & Accessibility - procedures will be simple and easy to understand; grievances may be submitted through a range of means accessible to all elements of the community.

2. Transparency - system will be publicized to a broad audience at all levels and to a variety of different actors; complainants will be provided with feedback on the outcome of each complaint.

3. Empowering and Participatory - communities, project staff, organizations and the media are encouraged to bring complaints to the attention of project management and the community at large; communities will have an active role in overseeing the program and ensuring complaints are reported and acted upon.

4. Timeliness - minimum response times are included in these guidelines to ensure grievances are handled in a timely manner.

5. Right of appeal - channels for appeal will be available if complainants are not satisfied with the resolution of their problem.

6. Confidentiality - the identity of complainants will remain confidential unless otherwise requested.

7. Pro-community - the purpose of the GRS is to resolve community complaints to maximize access to the benefits of the 4Ps, not to punish officials and community members for inadvertent administrative errors or legitimate inability to meet program conditions.

Objectives Primary: To facilitate due process in resolving complaints and grievances related to program implementation. Specifically:

1. Provide rapid and due process in resolving complaints 2. Capture data on vulnerabilities in the program implementation to effect refinements and

improvements 3. Empower communities and civil society to oversee and ensure accountability in program

implementation.



Nature of Grievance There are three natures of grievances:

1. Queries • Targeting / Selection; Conditions / Compliance; Service Providers; Payments

2. Requests

• Inclusion in program / registration • Appeals on compliance • Service Providers • Payment schemes, etc.

3. Complaints

Grievance Procedure



Types of Complaints The following complaints are entertained by the Grievance and Redress System:

TYPOLOGY DESCRIPTION Exclusion Error Complaint from an individual excluded from the

beneficiary list who feels s/he should be included Inclusion Error Complaint about an individual registered as a

beneficiary who is considered by the complainant to be ineligible to receive 4Ps cash payments

Registration Potential beneficiaries not able to attend validation / assemblies

Payment • Lateness • Payment amount lower/higher than entitlement • Payment cut off inappropriately • Problems with ATM cards or alternative payment

systems Service Providers • Closed facility

• Absent personnel • Slow service • Inadequate facilities

Compliance Complaint from beneficiary wishing to appeal against sanction for non-compliance

External Pressure Pressure applied on beneficiaries through the imposition of additional conditions or coercion to work/participate on community programs/projects

Corruption / Extortion / Embezzlement / Fraud

• Collection of fees/extortion by concerned service providers

• False information • Other related issues

RESOLUTION TIME FRAME Each grievance is given a time frame within which it is expected to be resolved, to wit:

PHASE WORKING DAYS ACCUMULATED DAYS Receipt of Grievance, Clarification, Entry into MIS, Categorization and Distribution

3 3

Fact Finding 5 8 Complaint Resolution 15 23 Feedback to Complainant 3 26 Appeal (Regional Grievance) 15 41 Appeal (National Grievance) 30 71



Summary of Complaints per Grievance Monitor / Level

Monitor / Level Grievance Parent-Leader / Municipal Link • Inquiry (for resolution)

• Targeting (for resolution) • Registration (for resolution) • Payment • Supply Side /Service Provider • Compliance and Appeals

Regional Focal Person (receive-categorize-distribute)

• Municipal Link • External Pressure • Corruption and other related

complaints Provincial Grievance Committee • Supply Side /Service Provider

• Compliance and Appeals Regional Grievance Committee • External Pressure

• Corruption and other related complaints

• Compliance and Appeals National Grievance Committee • Corruption and other related

complaints • Compliance and Appeals

GRS TOOLS There area two GRS tools used in processing a grievance:

• Grievance Form 1 - Complaint Form for Beneficiaries • Grievance Form 2 - Complaint Form for Non-Beneficiaries

END