KORONADAL CITY — The Department of Social Welfare and Development spent nearly half billion to cover the implementation of  government’s Modified Conditional Cash Transfer (MCCT) program in Region 12.

Jadidah Rasuman-Alangca, DSWD 12 focal for MCCT, said Monday around 378,230,663 were utilized by the department since 2015 to cover the program fundings for 20,000 households in the region.

Rasuman-Alangca said their beneficiaries, not included in the regular conditional cash transfer program, were mainly Indigenous groups.

In this picture taken November 2013 shows CCT beneficiaries are seen during family development session in General Santos City. (Photo by Jeoffrey Maitem)

“We cater families in need of special protection. These include street families, those displaced by natural and man made disasters, IPs, children in conflict with the law, child laborers, those with disability and victims of human trafficking,” she said.

“The money were used for their cash grants the same with Conditional Cash Transfer, cash for work for ten days as well livelihood depending on their proposals,” she added.

Under CCT, each beneficiaries will get P500 to P1, 400 depending on the number of eligible children. Each family is allowed a maximum of three children to receive the monthly benefits.

Dennis Domingo, DSW 12 regional information officer, explained the MCCT also aims to bring back the children to schools and facilitate their regular attendance including access to Alternative Delivery Mode and other special learning modes.

At the same time, he said program  facilitate availment of health and nutrition services through regular visits to the health centers; enhancing of parenting roles through attendance to Family Development Sessions ; bring back children from the streets to more suitable, decent and permanent homes and reunite with their families; and to mainstream families with children in need of special protection from normal psycho-functions through Pantawid Pamilya Program. (JBM/DSWD)