Conditional Cash Transfer Program: Its Contributions among the Indigents of Kamog in Sablan, Benguet

Abstract

The Conditional Cash Transfer Program brought socioeconomic changes to the indigent residents of Kamog in Sablan, Benguet. This is the result of the study conducted in October 2015 with the help of the 57 respondents. The study characterized the beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer Program as to age, sex, civil status, total number of children, estimated monthly income, highest educational attainment, and main source of income; identified the socio-economic changes brought about by the program on the respondents; identified the practices of the respondents in the utilization of the cash received from CCT Program; enumerated the problems encountered the respondents along their participation in the CCT Program; and enumerated the recommendations of the respondents relative to the implementation of the program. As to the results of the study, the respondents identified the changes brought about by the CCT Program as follows: they were able to pay school tuition fees on time; their children were able to attend classes every day because they have enough energy going to school; children were able to wear descent clothes as well as foot wears; beneficiaries were able to develop cooperation and discipline in working with others through the seminars and workshops provided for the program; and few of the beneficiaries who just ate 2 times a day before can already ate 3 times. The most identified practices of the beneficiaries relative to the utilization of the cash they received under the CCT Program are for children school tuition fees, for daily allowances and other school requirements. Nevertheless, few respondents used the money to buy nutritious food, vitamins and farm inputs. The problems encountered by the beneficiaries relative to the implementation of the program in a descending order of gravity, are as follows: cash claiming is delayed, difficult to cope with the policy and rules in CCT, cash grant is not enough for the family, delayed communication in seminar and meetings, insufficient knowledge in claiming cash grants, and time consuming due to too much meetings and requirements. As to the recommendations, the Conditional Cash Transfer Program cash grant should be increased to cater the needs of the beneficiaries. The concerned agencies should formulate a timetable for the respondent’s activities where remittance of cash grants and paper requirements are indicated. Furthermore, the concerned agencies should conduct regular education seminars regarding the program to help them understand more and be acquainted with all the necessary papers needed in the accomplishment of the requirements. On the part of the beneficiaries, they should realize that the CCT Program is not perpetual. They should find stable sources of income while waiting for the eventual ending of the program.