Mothers complain to Raffy Tulfo about school contributions, supposed withholding of their 4Ps cash grants

To alleviate poverty among the poorest of the poor in the country, the Philippine government came up with the “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program“, otherwise known as the 4Ps. Under the program, there are certain conditions to be met to qualify for the program, such as residents of the poorest municipalities, households who are below the poverty line, and families with children below 18 years old, among others. Identified families are then given two types of cash benefits: health grant of Php500 every month for every household; and Php300 monthly per child for 10 months, with maximum of three children registered under the program. Given these grants, a family of five could receive up to Php1,400 every month.

And if someone decides to stop and withhold the benefits, this could have a significant strain on a household’s finances, especially if the cash grant is the family’s main source of funds.

In an episode of “Raffy Tulfo in Action”, two mothers came forward to complain about unnecessary school fees, and the possible cessation of their 4Ps benefits if they were unable to pay their dues.

Malona Colon and Gemma Olacao came all the way from Agusan del Sur to seek help for the school contributions. Host Raffy Tulfo began to ask what kind of fees they had to settle.

According to Gemma, one of her children in high school was asked to pay Php255 for grills, while the other has to give Php130 for a bench, aside from the Php10 for ‘Miss UN’. Upon further interrogation, it looked like Miss UN pertained to a beauty pageant held in their school.

Because of their unpaid dues, the school confiscated her children’s identification cards. It was at this point that Raffy Tulfo called up Atty. Carlito Ranoco, Legal Officer of the Department of Education in Agusan del Sur, to complain about the unnecessary fees.

It was agreed that the fees were eventually waived, relieving the mothers from their worries. But it seemed like their dilemma was not finished yet. The mothers also brought up their concern over withheld cash benefits under the 4Ps.

Apparently, there was a text message sent to all the parents informing them their cash benefits would be stopped if they didn’t pay their school contributions. But Tulfo clarified that no government employee would ever compel parents to pay dues in exchange for their cash grants, stating these messages were illegal.

With everything settled between Tulfo and the two mothers, the host even gave money for their fare and food allowance to return home safely to Agusan del Sur. They were extremely grateful over Tulfo’s exceeding generosity towards them.

According to Gemma, she was able to receive her cash benefits under the 4Ps. Moreover, the public schools didn’t require her to pay for the contributions. Because she came forward, other parents were also grateful for the favorable outcome.

Watch the episode below:

Lumuwas pa mula Agusan del Sur si Nanay para isumbong ang plan…

Lumuwas pa mula Agusan del Sur si Nanay para isumbong ang plano ng isang sindikato na ipitin ang kanyang 4Pskapag di raw siya nagbigay sa hinihingi nilang kontribusyon mula sa kanyang mga anak sa elementary at high school.#raffytulfoinactionYoutube: http://bit.ly/RaffyTulfoOfficialYoutubeInstagram: http://bit.ly/RaffyTulfoOfficialInstagramWebsite: http://bit.ly/RaffyTulfoOfficialWebsite

Posted by Raffy Tulfo in Action on Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Have you also encountered unnecessary school fees that students were required to pay? What could you say about this story? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.