CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Amid 3,000 cops to secure school areas in Central Luzon as school year opens on June 3 is a lament that 62,789 children have been out of school despite their families being beneficiaries of the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino (4Ps) in Central Luzon.
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 4Ps regional program coordinator Tomasa Lirio said “of the 464,771 4Ps children-beneficiaries being monitored by DSWD in the region, 62,798 are not attending school.”
Attendance in school is a requirement for indigent families to continue receiving cash in varying amounts monthly under the 4Ps program. The DSWD is now studying whether to disqualify them, unless the parents vow to let their children pursue schooling in the new school year.
Lirio noted that “our city and municipal links conduct house visitations to initiate a purposive dialogue with the children and their parents or guardians.”
She said that as of last count, there are 224,519 households being monitored by DSWD in Central Luzon and that 96.5 percent of them are compliant with the 4Ps requirements.
“We also conduct regular assessment to identify availability of supply side which are contributory to the compliance of these children. Gaps are then lobbied to the local, provincial and regional committees,” Lirio added.
This, as the DSWD launched the Bata Balik-Eskwela Campaign in time for the opening of classes in Central Luzon.
“The objective of this campaign is to initiate collective efforts in encouraging schoolaged children to attend school,” Lirio said.
Meanwhile, some 3,000 policemen are to be deployed in all school areas in Central Luzon for the opening of classes on June 3.
At the Oplan Balik-Eskwela regional launching and mid-year media conference of the Department of Education (DepEd) at Camp Olivas here, regional police information officer Lt. Col. Fe Grenas said “police assistance desks will be visible in schools should there be queries for assistance and in the case of any eventuality.”
“We are also coordinating with local chief executives for the management of traffic because of the volume of students that will flock roads during the school opening,” she added.
Grenas also said “airports, seaports and land transport terminals will likewise be monitored for security purposes.”
At the same time, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the region has reported “assisting public schools in preparing their facilities in time for the opening of classes this June.”
“We repainted pedestrian lanes, particularly those in front of schools, as well as the classrooms and we also initiated vegetation inside and outside the school premises,” engineer Janet Nero of DPWH regional office said during the DepEd press conference.
“Our engineers conducted inspection of the school buildings in areas that were affected by the recent 6.1 magnitude earthquake that struck the region, to check on their structural integrity,” Nero added.
