ATM in every town for 4Ps beneficiaries can help local economy – DSWD Secretary

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, April 16 (PIA) --- Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman said that the establishment of Automated Teller Machine (ATM) in every municipality would help boost the local economy.

During her recent meeting with the local chief executives in the province, she explained that the goal is to have an ATM in every municipality so that the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) will have an easy access to their benefits.

Aside from this, she said that the other advantage of having ATM in the locality is that the beneficiaries can spend their money right in their respective municipality by buying rice, food and other necessities instead of spending it in the city where they will be withdrawing their cash grants.

“Actually, we are putting cash in these towns and we want to make sure that the cash circulates within these areas to contribute to the local economy,” she said.

The meeting held last April 13 at the Provincial Capitol Social Hall here was aimed at tackling issues and concerns regarding the implementation of 4Ps in the province.

4Ps is a poverty reduction strategy that provides cash grants to extremely poor households to improve their health, nutrition and education particularly of children aged 0-14.

Soliman promised that they will start the establishment of ATMs in every municipality as long as they can work-out some security issues.

The local leaders meantime suggested clustering of towns so that the establishment of ATMs will be per cluster.

In response, Secretary Soliman said clustering is okay as long as the local chief executives can agree among themselves where the ATM will be established, taking into consideration the interest of the beneficiaries as the main parameter.

In the year 2010, cash grants totaling Php17,164,700 were released to 3,697 beneficiaries in the province. (Apipa Bagumbaran/PIA-10)