Mayor Evangelista warns 4Ps beneficiaries

KIDAPAWAN CITY(Sept. 29) – The mayor here warned to delist beneficiaries of the government’s conditional cash transfer or thePantawid Pamilyang PilipinoProgram (4Ps) who would be caught sending their children to 'hard labor' rather than to schools.City Mayor Joseph Evangelista said he has received numerous complaints about elementary pupils and high school students working in the farms, plantations, and other jobs instead of attending classes.In a meeting last week with school principals and teachers, the mayor learned that many school children were absent from their classes as they were forced by parents to work as farm laborers. Why would these parents let their children work in the farms when they are supposed to study?This is a gross violation of the terms and conditions under the 4Ps,” said the mayor.The mayor explained that being a beneficiary of 4Ps ‘is a privilege.’ This is peoples’ money given to the poorest among the poor so they could send their children to school.If the parents can’t follow the guidelines, we might as well delete them from the list of the beneficiaries,” he told officers and members of the federation of the Parents Teachers Association in the city. He said that parents have no reason to worry about the miscellaneous and other school fees as the city government already shouldered payments of these. The mayor said he would recommend to Department of Social Welfare and Development and to the barangay chairmen to delist 4Ps beneficiaries caught sending their children to 'hard labor'.