The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Central Visayas has awarded the regional winners of the 2024 Search for Huwarang Pantawid Pamilya, a social welfare official said on Thursday.

Shalaine Marie Lucero, DSWD-7 regional director, said the Fortuito family from Barangay Maningcao in Sibulan, Negros Oriental is the regional winner in this year’s tilt for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

Lucero, together with other DSWD officials and partner stakeholders like the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Health (DOH), National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), and World Vision International, handed in the plaque of recognition and the cash incentive to the regional winners during the awarding ceremony held in a hotel in Cebu City.

Other winners are the Doblas family of Barangay Behind the Clouds in Batuan, Bohol who placed second.

The Encina family of barangay Cang-inte, Siquijor, Siquijor and Icot family of Calero, Liloan, Cebu, were named third and fourth place winners, respectively.

“These families are the living testimonies, the living example, and the evidence that every 4Ps family strives hard and perseveres to become successful,” Lucero told the Philippine News Agency.

The Fortuito family will represent the Central Visayas region during the 4Ps National Family Congress in Metro Manila from Oct. 27 to 31, with other regional winners from all over the country.

Lucero said the search has helped inspire 4Ps families to comply with the program conditions and showcase the remarkable stories of model families who, despite the challenges brought about by poverty, can maintain strong family ties, demonstrate positive Filipino values, and create a positive impact in their respective communities.

The 4Ps is the government’s major poverty alleviation program, which invests in the health, nutrition, and education of poor households eligible for the program. (PNA)