226 families in Mandaue City graduate from DSWD's 4Ps

CEBU, Philippines — A total of 226 families in Mandaue City graduated from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) while 793 families were newly-enrolled under the poverty alleviation program of the government.

The 226 4Ps households or families were already validated as non-poor under the Listahanan 3 household assessment, and some are also considered self-sufficient under the Social Welfare Development Indicator (SWDI) conducted by DSWD.

The 4Ps graduates came from the different cities of the city, who were considered as no longer dependent on the support under the said program.

The 4Ps serves as a national poverty reduction strategy and a human capital investment program that provides conditional cash transfers to poor households for a maximum period of seven years, to improve the health, nutrition, and education of children aged 0-18.

These, along with the psychosocial and educational components provided through the Family Development Session (FDS), lead the beneficiaries to have improved and sustained well-being.

A total of 4,156 household beneficiaries graduated from 4Ps in Central Visayas in 2023.

DSWD-7 Regional Director Shalaine Marie Lucero has cited the convergence efforts of the different national government agencies, local government units, and civil society organizations in alleviating the quality of life of the 4Ps households.

Lucero encouraged those who graduated from the program to continue to persevere and work hard and not forget the lessons they have learned through the monthly Family Development Session (FDS) because they can use these in achieving their dreams.

The 4Ps partner beneficiaries who graduated from the program are those with 0 to 18-year-old children or who have graduated from senior high school and those that have attained significant changes in their status and reached self-sufficiency upon graduation based on the Social Welfare Development Indicator (SWDI) conducted by the department.

The SWDI aims to determine and monitor the progress of the well-being of 4Ps households and to facilitate case management for a sustainable transition out of poverty.

According to DSWD-7, to be considered a self-sufficient household, the beneficiaries should have enough income as they graduate, can cope with their daily needs, and have achieved the first two SWDI levels, Survival (Level 1) and subsistence (Level 2), respectively.

Further, a total of ?106.335 billion has been allocated under the FY 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA) to DSWD’s 4Ps, which targets to assist over 4.4 million eligible households in the country.

Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Mina Pangandaman has emphasized that the ?106.335 billion allocated to the 4Ps is larger compared to the ?102.610 billion from the previous year under the 2023 GAA.

According to DBM, the said allocation covers health subsidies amounting to ?750 per month and ?600 per month as rice subsidies for 4.4 million households. It also also covers educational subsidies ranging from ?300-700 per month for over 7 million students.

Pangandaman earlier said that this significant funding will greatly benefit millions of Filipinos who are in dire need.

“As directed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., we will ensure that 4Ps under the Bagong Pilipinas will be provided with needed funding support as this program serves as a lifeline that bridges dreams to reality for many Filipinos,” Pangandaman said. (CEBU NEWS)