Local governments told: Hold convergence caravans

Monday, November 7, 2011

LOCAL governments units (LGUs) with families benefiting from the government’s poverty-reduction program Pantawid Pamilya or 4Ps are encouraged to initiate a Convergence Caravan in their area.

Bella Tse, Pantawid Pamilya provincial coordinator at the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), said LGUs where the program is implemented can also hold their own caravan to help the agency bring government services and programs closer to the beneficiaries.

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“They can also initiate the convergence caravan for the 4Ps families themselves by inviting the various government agencies to their areas,” said Tse.

DSWD has started rolling out the Convergence Caravan in 4Ps areas this year to gather in one venue the beneficiaries and personnel from government agencies to talk about the government programs and services available in their offices for the 4Ps recipients.

“Right now, the awareness level of our beneficiaries is limited only to what DSWD is doing for them so we want them to know that there are other government services that are available for them,” said Tse.

The caravan in the province kicked off recently in Mabinay town where around 2,000 -- mostly mothers from 4Ps family-beneficiaries -- turned up at the Mabinay municipal gymnasium to listen to representatives from government agencies such as the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (Tesda), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Health (DOH) and PhilHealth talk about what the government can do for them.

The five-year Pantawid Pamilya program was implemented in Mabinay in January this year.

During the caravan, DENR Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Oscar Magallones personally handed over free patent titles to 56 recipients who are also 4Ps recipients under the department’s Handog sa Titulo program.

A large number of beneficiaries were also seen crowded around the Tesda section to sign up for free skills and livelihood trainings classes.

“We bring to the caravan the government offices [that] target the same clientele, the 4Ps families. DSWD alone cannot gain a big unless we tap the resources also offered by other government agencies,” said Tse.

Tse is hoping that other LGUs with 4Ps beneficiaries in the province will also follow suit.

“Given DSWD’s meager resources, we hope we can pool our efforts and resources together,” she said. (PIA)