MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development and Reps. Leila de Lima of ML party-list and JC Abalos of 4Ps party-list are opposing the call of Sen. Erwin Tulfo to scrap the DSWD’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.
The 4Ps is the government’s national poverty reduction strategy and a human capital investment program that provides conditional cash transfers to poor households for a maximum of seven years to improve the health, nutrition and education of children aged 0 to 18.
Tulfo earlier suggested replacing the program with a lump sum livelihood fund, saying some 4Ps beneficiaries prefer livelihood capital instead of monthly cash transfers.
“There is no reason to scrap or abolish the program because we have already proven that 4Ps can really contribute to the lowering of poverty incidence,” Gemma Gabuya, 4Ps program director, told GMA-7.
De Lima, principal author of Republic Act 11310 or the law that institutionalized 4Ps, said the program beneficiaries “are not freeloaders.”
“This program is not alms. It has conditions for beneficiaries to get the support of the government. That is why it is called a conditional cash transfer program,” De Lima said.
Abalos suggested that 4Ps be improved instead of being scrapped.
“Livelihood is indeed a powerful tool against poverty. But 4Ps addresses poverty from a different front – by investing in the education and health of children from the poorest households,” Abalos said.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said one of President Marcos’ marching orders is to ensure that 4Ps household beneficiaries will exit the program only if their living conditions have improved toward self-sufficiency.
Gatchalian noted the President’s intention to amend the 4Ps law to ensure that there is enough time to promote the lifting of beneficiaries from poverty.