The Department of Social Welfare and Development has begun a pilot test of a new program that seeks to empower single parents with expanded services to provide emotional and financial support, with the yearlong “Solo” or “Strengthening Opportunities for Lone Parents” which was recently rolled out in Lapu-Lapu City.
“Solo introduces innovations on psychosocial interventions to ensure emotional support, alternative care arrangements for children and dependents, and counter the stigma and discrimination in the community,” said Ada Colico, DSWD assistant secretary.
Under the program, single parents with an income within the minimum-wage threshold and have two or three children below 22 years old will be provided “emotional and parenting support system” as well as “developmental interventions” for their kids.
These include psychosocial services and a monthly subsidy of P1,000 for qualified beneficiaries, as stipulated in Republic Act No. 11861, or the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act.
Local governments are tasked to form a social welfare desk solely dedicated for solo parents’ concerns.
“The pilot will run this year. And then we will assess if we can already implement it [fully] by next year, depending on the capacity of [local governments] since they will be [on top] of the implementation and funding,” Social Welfare undersecretary Edu Punay said.
Aside from Lapu-Lapu City, two other areas were tapped for the pilot implementation: Anda, Pangasinan, and Panabo City, Davao del Norte. The pilot rollout aims to cover an initial beneficiary count of 30 single-parent families per area covered by the rollout.
Single parents already have enough problems of their own, especially in the Philippines where the financial pressures of supporting offspring on one income can be quite demanding, and aside from finding a support system that goes beyond the immediate family when it comes to child rearing, there is also the societal stigma that single parents often have to face.
A government that can provide the support that they need to be able to raise their children will be much appreciated, both by the parent and the child, who are usually willing to repay such assistance by taking the opportunity to improve their lives, as well as being more productive members of society, which ultimately benefits the nation.*
