OVER 5,000 solo parents in Davao City are set to receive a monthly cash subsidy of P1,000 under the city’s local solo parents ordinance, which has been in effect since 2024.
Karla Quintela, spokesperson of the City Social Welfare and Development Solo Parents Division, said 5,267 qualified solo parents are currently enrolled in the program.
“The payout is ongoing for the first quarter, which only began rolling out in the last week of May, ” Quintela said during the Ispeak forum on Thursday.
Payouts are supposedly released every quarter, but technicalities with the entries have caused delays.
According to the program, each solo parent receives P3,000, accumulated over three months, every quarter.
Quintela said 852 solo parents remain on a waitlist as the budget is limited. The official said waitlisted beneficiaries can avail of the slot if a solo parent is disqualified. The list is being assessed every three months.
Grounds for termination of benefits include when the income of the solo parent falls above the poverty threshold stated under Sec. 4 of the ordinance, when he/ she remarries, and when the child he/she is supporting turns 18 years old.
“Every quarter, the social worker in the district will submit an assessment if a solo parent still qualifies,” she said.
A proposal to add 1,000 more slots to the program is still pending approval.
Despite the modest amount, Quintela said beneficiaries say the subsidy has provided help to their households, especially to the basic needs of their children.
The program is eyeing a survey to better measure the subsidy’s impact on beneficiaries’ lives.
“According to them, while it is not a large sum, it can augment the school projects of the children at school and for transportation,” she said.
On the employment front, no local initiative has been launched yet for solo parents, though the city government said it is planning to develop one.
