By Rene V. Carbayas
ISABELA CITY, Basilan – Qualified displaced persons from Sabah will benefit from the modified
Conditional Cash Transfer (MCCT) program from the Department of Social Welfare
and Development (DSWD).
Narabelle Bue, DSWD-9 regional
information officer said the DSWD had developed a program that would help the
displaced persons and families from Sabah regain normalcy in their lives and be
reintegrated into their communities.
The MCCT, which is a basically a
prototype of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), aims to cater to
families with children 0-14 years old.
DSWD 9 Regional Director Zenaida
Arevalo revealed that for Region 9, they had already identified 137 displaced
persons who returned to the Philippines due to the conflict in Sabah.
Similar to the identification of Pantawid beneficiaries, the 137 names were
subjected to the Proxy Means test and accordingly, 102 came out eligible for
the program.
To ensure accurate data and to avoid
duplication of beneficiaries, Leonardo U. Lindo, Project Development Officer
from DSWD Central Office, said that enrolment would be through the Biometric
Identification system. So far, field testing of the biometric system
customized for the program was already conducted last week and participated in
by prospective beneficiaries of the program.
Aside from Region 9, DSWD will also
identify prospective beneficiaries from Region 12 and ARMM.
An orientation workshop will be conducted to prepare Local
government units for the implementation of the MCCT program as well as the
processing and implementation of the biometric enrolment. (PIA9)