ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Region 9 office here of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD 9) expressed readiness for the full implementation of Set III of the government’s “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program” or 4Ps that is scheduled to be launched by January next year.

The program is aimed at helping alleviate the lives of the poor Filipinos nationwide through the project of the government and its components.

Under the 4Ps program the beneficiaries will receive more or less P1,000 a month through the automated teller machine (ATM), or over the counter collection through the nearest Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) branch depending on the number of children below 14-years-old. The beneficiaries will receive the government support for five years.

DSWD Division Chief Aida Magracia said that the amount is meant at helping poor families meet some of their family requirements.

DSWD explained that for a family to avail of the 4Ps benefits, their income must be less than P5,000 a month.

The money given to them must be spent properly, especially for the health of the family and the education of the children, Magracia said.

The children must go to school, the health of the family must be well taken cared of and the children must have complete immunization and pregnant mothers must have their prenatal check up, she added.

The DSWD will also give the beneficiaries some seminars which are useful like responsible parenting.

These chosen beneficiaries will be registered with the LBP for their ATM cards by January where they can receive their money, the DSWD said.

For this program, the government is set to spend some P7 million per month for the chosen family beneficiaries.

DSWD said in the third set of 4Ps, there are about 7,000 family beneficiaries coming from three municipalities for Zamboanga del Sur, three municipalities from Zamboanga Sibugay and the cites of Isabela and Zamboanga.