MALAYBALAY CITY (BukidnonNews.net/ 25 June 2025)—The province has logged the highest number of dropouts in the region with 16,511 out-of-school 4Ps kids last year.
According to the Department of Social Welfare and Development Region 10, this figure comprised 58.9 percent of the 28,022 total dropouts in Northern Mindanao. The kids, whose families were registered under the state’s subsidy program 4Ps, were required to have at least 85 percent class attendance.
The province was followed by Misamis Oriental with 5,560 dropouts; Lanao del Norte with 3,611; Misamis Occidental with 2,095; and Camiguin with 245.
Far-flung areas
In a DSWD-10 report, “most of these out-of-school children are in senior high school and live in isolated and disadvantaged areas, where long distances and limited access to schools hinder regular attendance.” Some kids have also opted to work instead to help their parents.
To address this, the 4Ps municipal and city action teams across 93 localities in Northern Mindanao have tried to reach these children and their parents to return to class. Some teams utilized the Department of Education’s Brigada Eskwela activities held before the June 16 opening. Others mobilized the 4Ps Parent Leaders to help encourage them.
In San Fernando, Bukidnon, for example, the Municipal Action Team reached out to 868 4Ps children, most of whom live in remote barangays near the border to Davao del Norte.
Subsidies and requirements
Under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, low-income families are given monthly subsidies for rice (Php 600), health (Php 750), and education (Php 300, Php 500, Php700 depending on grade level). For example, a family with one elementary, one junior high, and one senior high school student could receive Php 2,850 monthly for a maximum of 7 years.
Aside from class attendance, family-beneficiaries are also required to attend the monthly Family Development Sessions.
“We strongly encourage all 4Ps and non-4Ps children to stay in school and finish their studies for a brighter future,” said 4Ps Regional Program Manager Kenneth Haze S. Lustre.
Their office’s back-to-school campaign is dubbed “Ali na, Eskwela ‘ta” (Come on, let’s study).