Butuan City- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office Caraga conducts the first over the counter (OTC) pay-out with the Civil Society Organizations (CSO) in Butuan City today, May 20, 2015 at Doongan Complex.

OTC is a mode of payment use in case a conduit is not yet ready to service the conditional cash transfer (CCT) partner-beneficiaries.

‘The idea behind this innovation is that DSWD can take this opportunity to educate and at the same time make the pay-out activities a worthwhile experience for Pantawid partner-beneficiaries,” Regional Director Minda B. Brigoli, CESO III said.

“It has been noted that in previous pay-out activities, Pantawid Pamilya partner-beneficiaries are kept waiting in line with nothing to do,” Dir. Brigoli added.

Some of the activities included are the following, installation of booths, financial literacy orientation, setting up of child friendly spaces, inputs on active citizenships, and testimonies of parent leaders in their Kaya Ko Ang Pagbabago stories.

“All our actions are always dedicated to our partner-beneficiaries. We want them to fully-understand all our undertakings. With our partner-CSOs, we could strengthen our advocacy in making our partners understand how the program works for them,” Dir. Brigoli closed.

Present CSO-partners are PASCRES-Caraga that discussed inputs on active citizenship, BPI Globe Banko for financial literacy, The Generics Pharmacy (TGP) for Health Tips/Teaching on Lifestyle Illnesses, USWAG Coop Farmers for Mushroom Growing and the Butuan City Association of PWDs that gave feeding program to children aged 3-4.

Almost 1,600 Pantawid Pamilya partner-beneficiaries within the city graced the event.