Accompanied by the Social Development Minister, Fernanda Villegas, and the Employment and Social Welfare Minister, Javiera Blanco, President Michelle Bachelet visited one of the centers where beneficiaries of various social programs can, from today, claim the Permanent Family Subsidy (Aporte Familiar Permanente) –previously known as the March Bonus- which is paid at a rate of CLP$41.236 (approximately US$65) for each family dependent.
In her speech, President Bachelet began by explaining that “the support that the State is able to offer all our fellow Chileans is of paramount importance; and this is one subsidy we decided should not depend on whichever party is in Government, but should be made permanent. Therefore we have made it law to ensure it is an on-going policy.”
Having met with several families who were at the center in Conchalí to claim this year’s subsidy, President Bachelet acknowledged how important this initiative is for these families: “The Permanent Family Subsidy is a social policy that provides real support every year to around 1.7 million families. We are talking about approximately 3.4 million people throughout Chile who are going to benefit. Because, remember, this support is paid for each family dependent,” she explained.
She added: “Let me tell you that as the Government we are extremely proud of this subsidy, because it means so much to the people I have spoken to. In fact, one of the mothers has just told me that at her children’s school there is a brand new uniform this year and she will be
going straight from here to buy it, along with some other school supplies that her children need.”
The President ended her speech by reiterating her Government’s commitment to the most vulnerable families: “Today we are not only seeing the consolidation of a policy we introduced last year with a law that was swiftly approved by Congress; we are also reaffirming a declaration of principles, which is that if we want our social policies to produce long term results, they must be permanent.”