Purging of the 4Ps’ list of beneficiaries

This was what President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. said in part during his first State of the Nation Address:

“Upang matiyak na mapupunta sa kwalipikadong mga pamilya ang tulong ng pamahalaan sa pamamagitan ng 4Ps o Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, titiyakin natin na malilinis ang listahan ng benipisyaryo.

“Higit na sa isang milyong pangalan ang naka-graduate na sa listahan. At nagagalak akong mabatid na sila ay nakatayo na sa kanilang sariling paa. Kaugnay nito ay inutusan ko ang DSWD napag-ibayuhin pa ang pagrepaso ng listahan upang maitutok ang pamimigay na sapat na ayuda sa mga lubos na nangangailang pamilya.”

In gist, what the president wanted is that only the truly qualified must be beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps. This is an old problem.

The objection against 4Ps is understandable, foremost of which is that it makes people lazy and dependent. Instead of learning to sweat to earn a living, many beneficiaries wait for every release. It is only when man can honestly say to himself that what he earns is a result of honest toil can he experience the dignity of labor. We should not just be giving fish to man. We must teach him how to catch fish.

On the other hand, what is undeniable is that there are the poorest in our society whose conditions we must collectively uplift. It is a reality of life that there are people who are really less fortunate. This lends truism to what the late president Ramon Magsaysay espoused: “Those who have less in life should have more in law.”

In fact, if there had been a 4Ps when I was growing up, our family would have qualified for it. I could say we belonged to the poorest of the poor category. I saw the ugly face of poverty with my own eyes. Sheer guts and faith in God helped me pluck our family from that condition.

But I do not intend to use my story of poverty and hardship as an argument against 4Ps. Everyone has a story. I can perfectly understand those 4Ps beneficiaries. In fact, there are also countless 4Ps beneficiaries who have improved their lives, having utilized the money given to them in a wise manner. Many went on to finish schooling.

However, serious concerns about the program must be addressed. Not a few have abused the program for so long, giving way to the undeserving to take advantage of what is supposed to be a program for the poorest of the poor. Unscrupulous barangay, city, and municipal officials meddle in the listing. They dangle 4Ps before clueless voters. These politicians threaten these voters with removal from the list if the latter will not support the former in an election.

In other words, 4Ps, just like almost every government program, is used for purely political ends. Not matter how many reassurances the national government will make that the program is a national program and should not be politicized, what is happening on the ground is simply different.