COTABATO CITY (PIA) -- The Bangsamoro government has allocated over P200 million for the Kalinga para sa may Kapansanan program for persons with disabilities (PWD) in the region.
Sandra Macacua, focal person for the Older Persons with Disability Welfare Program of the Ministry of Social Services and Development of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MSSD-BARMM), confirmed in an interview the earmarked budget for this year.
“Nagsimula po tayo [we started] with 30,000 beneficiaries in 2020, at ngayon [and now] in 2024, we targeted 44,412 beneficiaries across the Bangsamoro region,” she said.
The MSSD that implements the program allows PWDs, who are poor, to receive a monthly allowance of P500 to support their basic and medical needs.
According to Macacua, the Kalinga para sa may Kapansanan program is the first of its kind in the country that offers cash transfer subsidies to PWDs.
“Ito pong programang ito [this program] was launched in September of 2020. This is a continuing program at nagpapatuloy na po ito hanggang ngayon [and it continues up to the present],” Macacua added.
Macacua also urged qualified PWDs in the Bangsamoro region to avail of the program.
“Para po dun sa mga interested to join and avail of the program, pumunta po kayo sa pinakamalapit na Municipal Social Welfare Officers sa inyo pong mga LGU, duon po kayo mag apply, kailangan niyo pong dalhin ang inyong valid ID and certification na indigent kayo since this program is for the poorest of the poor or indigent PWDs,” she explained.
[For those who are interested in joining and availing of the program, you may visit your nearest MSW officers in your respective LGUs and apply for the program. Please bring with you valid IDs and certification of indigency.]
