Field Office IV-B (MIMAROPA)

Community assemblies were held simultaneously in five provinces in Region IV-B from November to December to register and validate potential beneficiaries for the expansion of the program by 2012. Along with the expansion, five new municipalities will be covered by the program resulting to 100% coverage in the provinces of Romblon, Occidental and Oriental Mindoro in terms of covered municipalities. The new municipalities are Gasan in Marinduque, Lubang, Mamburao, and San Jose in Occidental Mindoro, and Odiongan in Romblon. Moreover, municipalities included in the previous sets will increase in the number of beneficiaries such as Araceli, Coron, Rizal, Roxas, and Sofronio Espanola in Palawan, Sta. Cruz in Marinduque, Roxas in Oriental Mindoro, and Corcuera in Romblon.

A total of 24,666 potential beneficiaries based on the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) will be assessed if they pass the eligibility check requirement of the program. Registered beneficiaries for the recently concluded community assemblies will fall under Set 5 which will start implementation by 2012.

Pantawid Pamliya provides conditional cash grants to poor households intended for the health and education needs of children 0-14 years old. Every household is entitled to a maximum of P1,400.00 worth of cash grant for 1 month depending on their compliance to the conditionalities set by the program. Not only that the program provides cash grant but more importantly, the program conducts Family Development Sessions that could help the beneficiaries have a more fruitful and more meaningful relationship among their household members. ### Vlaire Jane F. Formento

Malate, Manila – Municipal Coordinating Teams (MCT) of the ten KALAHI-CIDSS MakamasangTugon municipalities gathered at the Aloha Hotel last December 14-16, 2011 for a training workshop on good governance. KALAHI-CIDSS IV-B organized the said training to provide the participants a deeper understanding of governance, a process deemed imperative to the implementation of MakamasangTugon.

The three-day training focused on the roles and functions that the MCT is undertaking to achieve a commendable performance based on theiradoption of principles and criteria on good governance. Likewise discussed were the local programming and planning, local government initiative for good governance, and lastly the indicators, dimensions, elements and characteristics of good governance itself.