Filipino Family and the State

The Philippine government has its outmost responsibility to protect and nurture the Filipino families as the basic unit of the community and the foundation of the nation. As such, the government has the obligation to carry out such programs that will enhance Filipino families’ lives through their active participation.

Art. 149 of the Family Code states that:

The family, being the foundation of the nation, is a basic social institution which public policy cherishes and protects. Consequently, family relations are governed by law and no custom, practice or agreement destructive of the family shall be recognized or given effect.

Recently, the government has been active in creating programs that promote good governance with the participation of its citizens.

The Philippine’s Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT)

The Pantawid pamilya is the Philippines’ Conditional Cash Transfer program under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that finances modest cash grants for children under 18 yrs. of age for their education and health (The World Bank, 2014, par. 12). It also covers maternal benefits for Filipino mothers (par. 12). CCT has been able to cover about 4 million Filipino families or about 40 million people nationwide making it the second largest CCT in the world as of April this year. This CCT has a budget of 62 billion per 2014 National Budget.

Moreover, citizens’ group can extend their help through Family Development Session (FDS) in training CCT beneficiaries, providing feedback on the said program and helping other poverty reduction programs. They could also participate using the online portals made accessible to the public such as the open data of Official gazette by the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO) and Budget ng Bayan by the Department of Budget and Management.

Philippine and US P8 Billion Health Project

The Department of Health (DOH) in partnership with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched an P8 billion health project that will work on improving maternal and child health, family planning, tuberculosis prevention and control and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment nationwide that will be implemented within a five-year period.

This project is in support of “Kalusugan Pangkalahatan (KP)” – a DOH Universal Healthcare Strategy to attain health-related interventions for the poor (DOH, 2013).

Habitat for Humanity

The local government units and the national agencies provide for the housing needs of Filipino families in partnership with the Habitat for Humanity organization. Amongst the government units involved in this project are the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), National Housing Authority (NHA), Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Local Government Units.

KALAHI-CIDSS

The Kapitbisig Laban sa Kahirapan (Linking Arms against Poverty) KALAHI- Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (CIDSS) is a community-driven development project that aims to empower communities through their enhanced participation in community projects that reduce poverty.

Within 6 years, the project aims to cover 25 % of the poorest municipalities in the poorest 42 (out of 79) provinces of the Philippines, equivalent to more than 4,000 villages in 182 municipalities. It strengthens community participation in local governance and develops local capacity to design, implement, and manage development activities. Community grants are used to support the building of low-cost and productive infrastructure such as roads, water systems, clinics, and schools.

Using a competitive process, villagers select projects from an open menu and prioritize them for funding. Good local-resource mobilization is demonstrated by the high contribution of villagers and their local governments. KALAHI-CIDSS has trained thousands of villagers in project planning, technical design, and financial management and procurement, thus building a cadre of future leaders at the local level. Most importantly, the project provides villagers with structured opportunities for accessing information, expressing their opinions, and influencing local governance.

These government projects are proof that the Philippine State gives importance to the Filipino families and that it encourages participation towards the welfare of the Filipino people. I hope that it would reach every Filipino family and they will benefit from these programs for the betterment of our country. I also hope that the funds allotted to these projects will solely be consumed for the attainment of these projects’ mission and will not be shared by corrupt government officials so that the Filipino families will be assured that these government activities are in support with the statutes of the Family Code of the Philippines.

The government cannot function without the Filipino families and it is only righteous for the government to protect and cherish them. Therefore, they should be able to participate on the government projects that will affect them.