A total of 316 household beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) from the municipality of Sibalom in Antique formally exited from the program on Thursday.

The graduates were assessed to have no more children eligible for monitoring, which means they are over 18 years old and already have the economic capacity to survive.

Georgia Fadol, whose three out of eight children were covered by the program, said that her family was grateful for being chosen as a beneficiary.

“As beneficiary of the 4Ps, our family was able to take a little breath,” she said in her testimony during the graduation ceremony held at the Parvana Inn Training Center in Sibalom.

She added that the cash grant they received helped her three children while in school.

Two of her children are already graduates and working while the third grantee is about to graduate from college this school year.

“One of my children is now a seaman while the other one is already a teacher,” she said.

Her other children not covered by the program were all self-supporting students.

Jhophello Alcosaba, a former child beneficiary and now a teacher in a private school in Sibalom, said his inclusion in the 4Ps has motivated him to study harder.

Alcosaba was a consistent honor student from elementary to college.

His parents, both farmers, had a hard time meeting his needs and that of his younger sister, also a former 4Ps beneficiary.

Before the graduation ceremony, a meeting was held with the local government unit of Sibalom, the Antique Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, and other partner agencies for endorsement of the households so they could also be provided their other needed assistance if necessary, Antique 4Ps Provincial Link Jeffrey Gabucay said in an interview.

Sibalom is left with around 2,000 household beneficiaries following the exit of 316 family grantees, he added.

Antique has a total of 20,373 remaining household 4Ps beneficiaries in the province.

Household beneficiaries of the program receive a monthly cash grant of PHP700 for senior high school, PHP500 for junior high school, PHP300 for kindergarten to elementary, and PHP750 for health or nutrition, and PHP600 as rice subsidy. (PNA)