Senator Leila M. de Lima has commended the 2018 Naval Architect and Marine Engineer board exam topnotcher who supported himself to college with the assistance of the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
De Lima, who chairs the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development, said Joseph Vincent Satura’s story is a testimony to the success of the 4Ps, which is aimed at improving the plight of the poor.
“4Ps is not perfect (no government program is), and through the years, it has earned criticisms, but at present, it is one of a very few ingenious public sector programs that make concrete and lasting interventions in the lives of those in need. Buhay na patotoo si Joseph at marami pang kabataan at pamilyang Pilipino,” she said in her recent Dispatch from Crame No. 418.
Satura, a 4Ps beneficiary from Cebu City who graduated cum laude, topped the 2018 licensure exam for Naval Architect and Marine Engineer with the rating of 92.20 percent.
De Lima noted while Satura is a scholar of Tsuneishi Foundation (Cebu), he also recognizes that part of his success came from 4Ps and how his mother’s monthly allowance from the program helped him survive college. The Senator from Bicol said she hopes that Satura’s story would encourage the government to support 4Ps and help make it as one of its regular poverty reduction programs for qualified poor families.
“Sa kabila ng tagumpay ni Joseph, batid nating marami pang pwedeng gawin ang ating pamahalaan para sa marami pang katulad nya at ng kanyang pamilya. Panahon nang seryosohin at pakatutukan ang 4Ps at iba pang kapaki-pakinabang na programa para sa mahihirap,” she said.
“Bilang mambabatas at pinuno ng Komite ng Katarungang Panlipunan ng Senado, nananawagan po akong magtulungan tayo – nasa pampubliko o pribadong sektor man – na gawing pangmatagalan at mas malawig ang mga programang katulad ng 4Ps na nagbibigay ng pag-asa at aktwal na tulong sa mga dukhang pamilya upang makaahon sa kahirapan,” she added.
Last September, De Lima filed Senate Bill (SB) No. 2016 to ensure that the continuation of the conditional cash transfer assistance for the qualified beneficiaries will not be dependent on future administrations.
Under SB No. 2016, the 4Ps shall be one of the regular poverty reduction programs of the government which provides conditional cash transfer to beneficiaries for a maximum period of seven years, to improve the health, nutrition and education aspect of their lives.
It also proposes to expand the health and nutrition expenses of the qualified beneficiaries from P600 to 750 every month to compensate the rising prices of rice and other basic health and nutrition needs of the poor.
De Lima’s proposed measure also provides loan assistance for livelihood opportunities or employment facilitation to beneficiaries who successfully completed the required skills training programs under the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Sustainable Livelihood Program.
The Samahan ng Nagkakaisang Pamilyang Pantawid has submitted more than 500,000 signatures to the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development endorsing De Lima’s SB No. 2016 for its immediate passage into law.