The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is bringing the Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program to five more regions this 2025, a senior agency official said on Thursday.

“There are so many testimonials that we have documented — from college students and parents – saying that the tutoring program has helped them and their families. Some even said the cash-for-work (CFW) is just an extra benefit. That is why we are bringing it to other regions,” Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said in a news release.

According to the DSWD spokesperson, the department will expand the tutoring program in the Ilocos Region, Bicol Region, Zamboanga Peninsula, Mimaropa, and Caraga.

In particular, the participating municipalities in the five areas include Pangasinan in the Ilocos Region; Camarines Sur, Albay, and Sorsogon in the Bicol Region; Zamboanga City in Zamboanga Peninsula; Odiongan, Romblon, and Puerto Princesa City in Mimaropa; and Butuan City and Surigao del Norte in Caraga.

Dumlao said about 138,407 individuals, including struggling and non-reader elementary learners, their parents or guardians, and college students from poor households are expected to benefit from the program this year.

“In the five new regions, we are targeting 19,343 beneficiaries. Of this number, 16,820 are elementary learners and their parents or guardians, while 2,523 are college students who will be trained as tutors and youth development workers (YDWs),” she said.

In its second year, the Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program has provided CFW to about 10,608 college students who rendered tutoring and parenting sessions and 61,805 parents and guardians of struggling or non-reader elementary students who attended the “Nanay-Tatay Teacher” sessions.

A total of 62,418 grade school students also benefitted from the series of tutorial sessions.

Apart from the new regions, Dumlao said the DSWD would continue implementing the tutoring program in the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Soccsksargen and Calabarzon.

The tutorial and the “Nanay-Tatay Teacher” sessions are set to take place from May to June.

The Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program is the DSWD’s reformatted educational assistance.

It was declared as a flagship program of the national government by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. through Executive Order 76, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Nov. 22, 2023.

The EO stipulates that the DSWD, Department of Education (DepEd), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), National Youth Commission (NYC), and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) must work together in implementing the program. (PNA)