The Effectiveness of the 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program)

to the Beneficiaries of Barangay La Fortuna, Sitio Intavas, Impasug-ong ,

Bukidnon

Corona, Raul B

Jabay, Jed Herald G.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree

Bachelor of Arts and Sciences

Major in Sociology

Bukidnon State University

City of Malaybalay

October 6, 2016
 Chapter I

The Problem

Introduction

The Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program (4Ps or Pantawid) is the

centerpiece social protection program of the Philippine government. Like

conditional cash transfer programs in many other countries it provides

cash grants to beneficiaries provided they comply, with specified

conditionalitys such as keeping their children in school, getting health

check-ups, and attending family development sessions, one of the main

concerns of the program is the fear that the monetary assistance could

foster welfare dependency. On this, point the commonly help hypothesis

is that income transfers from the government tend to reduce work

incentives and encourage dependency on public assistance. (Aniceto,

Orbeta, and Vicente Paqueo. 2013).

Conditional Cash Transfer Program (CCT). This cash transfer

program was renamed by the government and is now known as the

Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), with the Department of

Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as the lead agency in

championing the poverty alleviation strategy program of the government.

One factor that is associated to the health status of the individual is

poverty. Persons suffering from the poverty are getting sick easily for they

are often exposed to environmental health risks. These persons are also

less well-nourished and have less access to healthcare and education

that could aid them for a healthy lifestyle. (Ronaldo F. Frufonga WVSU

2015)

The Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program (4Ps) have been taking

effect in Sitio Intavas, Barangay La Furtona Municipality of Impasugong,

Bukidnon. Many of the people who are residents of sitio intavas are the

Indigenous People (IPs) who are also among the benefactors of the The

Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Government. The

common problems that are taking place in this area is poverty.

Unemployment, malnutrition, child labor, and Education, this problems

are present in the life of most persons who are living in sitio intavas.

Most of the residents are farmers, considering that the area of

Brgy. La Furtona is suited for agriculture purposes. This is the reason

why most of the local in the area are farmers who own the land. But,

cannot afford to cultivate and till their own land to produce their crops.

Because of the problem of unavailability of work and the opportunity for

education. Many are force to send their children to work in farms where
they are helping their parents to work in labor in order to survive and

afford to buy their daily necessity.

Sickness and malnutrition occurs in the community, the

government seek to aid the poverty of this people through the The

Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program (4Ps). Because of this, many families

has the chance to acquire cash assistance, the Government of

Impasugong, Brgy La Furtona through the DSWD and other concern

agency of the Government, tried to work together to help this people who

are qualified beneficiary of the 4Ps program to recognize the persons who

are worthy to become a qualified benefactor.

Through the 4Ps program the people have experience relief from

poverty, but there are also concerns that are being raised in the private

sector, that by the presence of the 4Ps program. Many have become

unemployed and now depending in the financial assistance program, the

people who are benefactors are becoming lazy and stubborn. Some of the

benefactors are not working anymore but rather waits for the release of

their cash assistance from the government. The purpose of the 4Ps

program is to assist the beneficiaries from their burden of having less

income/budget to purchase their daily necessity. But instead this

benefactors are now dependent and unproductive in their life.

This study would contribute on how to improve the program based

on feedback and gather datas from interviewed respondents. As the

researchers , there is a new information that is specific and detailed that

can be used to assess the program and eventually would serve as

baseline towards further improvement in developing the program in

terms of service and implementation for the anti-poverty programs.

Added relevance of this study is the possibility of reintroducing and

organizing the beneficiaries. To be able to support the objectives and

goals of the program, so that the benefactors of the said program would

be aware and knowledgeable, o how to become an independent and self-

reliant individuals. Therefore the Educational Institution, government

sectors and other agencies could help in formulating solutions and

programs to alleviate poverty and implement it as extension activities or

program.

Statement of the Problem

This Study will evaluate the effectiveness of the 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang

Pilipino Program) to the beneficiaries of Barangay La Fortuna, Sitio

Intavas Impasugong, Bukidnon. Specifically it sought to answer the

following:

1. How effective is the 4 Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program) for

the beneficiaries of Barangay La Fortuna, Sitio Intavas, Impasug-

ong Bukidnon. In terms of;

a. Education
b. Health

2. What are the challenges and factors encountered by the

beneficiaries in the programs implementation?

Significance of the study

The researchers believe that this ongoing study will eventually

have a significant value/importance and contribution to the following:

The household beneficiaries who are the beneficiaries of the

program since their feedback and other data gathered from them

would serve as empirical input for the improvement in

implementing this program in their respective barangays,

municipalities and provinces.

The Local Government Units the local or national government

could utilize the result of this study as a reference and as an

example to better improve their implementing plans for the

program. Together with their constituents it will serve as a guide or

blue print for future development of the people.

The Educational Institution universitys, colleges and other

forms of institution that could use the data to plan and make

suggestions/ proposal to help improve the participants through

 Trainings, Workshops, Symposiums, and Seminars to make the

beneficiaries aware on their roles, obligations and responsibilities

as a recipient/ benefactor.

Public administrators and servants make the proper uses of the

result to assess the effectiveness and impact to the beneficiaries

which could possibly be a basis for future planning for decision

making and specifically in making excellent strategy and

techniques on implementing the program.

The Delimitation of the Study

The study is delimited to the improvement and effectiveness of the

Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4ps) to the residence of Barangay

La Fortuna, Sitio Intavas. Imsugong, Bukidnon in terms of Education

and Health Assistance. The respondents and participants to this study

are the Higaunon Tribe, of Mt. kitanglad Range of Impasugong Bukidnon

and also the residence of Sitio Intavas, of which are the considered to be

beneficiaries of the 4ps in this area of study during the year 2015-2016.

There are 15 families who are qualified benefactors of the Pantawid

Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4ps) of Barangay La Fortuna, Sitio Intavas

Impasugong Bukidnon.
 Definition of Terms

To have better understanding of the study being undertaken to the

following terms are defined operational.

Effectiveness: Effectiveness is the capability of producing the desired

result. When something is deemed effective, it means it has an intended

or expected outcome, or produces a deep, vivid impression.

Beneficiaries: Beneficiaries is a natural person who will the money from

the government. A person or entity (as a charity or estate) that receives a

benefit from something (as a will or other instrument or legal agreement).

Poverty: Poverty is the state of having condition of having a little or no

money, goods, or means of support.

DSWD: Department of Social Welfare and Development is the executive

department of the Philippine government responsible for the protection of

the social welfare rights of Filipinos and to promote social development

4 Ps: The Pantawid PamilyangPilipino Prgram is a human development

measure of the national government that provides conditional cash

grants to the poorest of the poor, to improve the health, nutrition and the

education of children age 0-18. It is patterned after the conditional cash

transfer or CCT schemes in Latin American and African Countries which

have lifted millions of people around the world.

CCT: Conditional Cash Transfer is a program that aims to reduce poverty

by making welfare programs conditional upon the receivers action. The

Government (or a charity) only transfers the money to person who meet

the criteria. This criteria may include enrolling children into public

schools getting regular check ups to the doctors office, receiving

vaccination, or the like. CCTs are unique in seeking to help the current

generation on poverty, as well as breaking cycle of poverty for the next

through the development of Human capital.

 Chapter 2

Review of literature

This chapter deals with the review of literature that are related to the

present study. This chapter also provides discussion about the importance of

the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4ps).

The 4Ps is a social program that entails monetary and non-monetary transfers

to the poor or poorest families who have school-aged children on the condition

that they meet the programs terms that are aimed at improving their

capacities. Brazil and Mexico were the first countries that implemented the 4Ps

program. The main objective was to provide cash to families who are in extreme

poverty in exchange for some education and health care commitments. Since

then, many countries, including the Philippines, have attempted to replicate

their examples (Cecchini and madariaga 2011).

The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, or 4Ps, is the Philippines

version of the conditional cash transfer. Based on the Department of Social

Welfare and Development Studies (DSWD) primer, the 4Ps is a poverty

reduction and social development strategy of the national government. It

provides cash transfers to extremely poor households to help improve their

health, nutrition and education. The program specifically targeted poor families

with children aged 0-14. The two main objectives of the program are social

assistance and social development. The former aims to alleviate the poors

immediate needs, hence it can be termed as a short-term poverty alleviation

measure. The latter, however, aims to break the intergenerational poverty cycle

by investing in human capital. Meanwhile, the 4Ps helps in fulfilling the

countrys commitment in the Millennium Development Goals particularly in: (1)

Nutrition (2) Health (Leslie Valea).

Conditional Cash Transfer Programs in Other Countries

This program is a local version of other conditional cash transfer

programs of countries from Latin America. Literature revealed that program

like Bolsa Familia (Brazil) and Oportunidades of Mexico provided special

attention to older children, at least in terms of subsidy amount. This draws

from the fact that there is a greater opportunity cost for older children to go to

school. In Mexico, the data for 2000 shows that children start to drop out when

they reach middle school (CWDA 2010). The rate goes lower as children get

older. Hence, the Oportunidades provides assistance from the 3rd grade in

elementary up to senior year. The assistance therefore covers 10 years of

schooling at the maximum. Both Bolsa Familia (Mouro and de Jesus 2012)

and Familias en Accin target children aged up to 17 for the education

component of the program. In 2001, enrolment rate of children aged 8-11 in

Brazil was 97 percent while that of 15-year-olds was only 87 percent. Hence,

the Bolsa Escola program, renamed Bolsa Familia in 2003, was launched in

2001 to address this (Glewwe and Kassouf 2010).

True enough, studies show that 4Ps programs have greater impact on older

than younger children. A study on the Colombian case shows that the 4Ps
increased school participation of 14- to 17-year-old children quite

substantially, by 5 to 7 percentage points. On the other hand, the program had

lower effect on the enrolment rate of younger children, only about 1 to 3

percentage points (Attanasio et al. 2010). A study on the Brazils case also

showed greater impact on enrolment of older children (i.e., those in Grades 5 to

8) than in younger children (i.e., Grades 1 to 4) (Glewwe and Kassouf 2010).

Effects of 4Ps to Education, Health and Nutrition1111

Santiago (2010) cited that initial study on the pilot areas of the program

showed promising results. In Esperanza and Sibagat, Agusan del Sur for

example, two of the pilot areas of the 4Ps elementary school enrollment has

increased by fifteen percent (15%).Moreover, children covered by 4Ps have

higher attendance compared to the general population of children in school.

There has been a remarkable increase in the use of health services by pregnant

women and children compared to 2007 and there has also been a significant

increase in the vaccination rate as well as a decrease in prevalence of

malnutrition among children.

Bolsa Familia of Brazil targets extremely poor households (i.e., those

earning less than R$60 or US$34 per capita monthly) regardless of the

household composition; there is no conditionality for the childless extremely

poor households. This is in addition to the conditional monthly transfer that

the program provides to poor families (i.e., those earning less than R$120 or

US$68 per capita) with children aged 0-17 and/or a pregnant woman with up
to a maximum of three children (Soares et al. 2010). The Oportunidades

(formerly known as Progresa) started in rural communities, targeting extremely

poor households. It later expanded to cover the extremely poor in urban areas.

Colombia also targeted extremely poor households in selected communiti

Santiago (2010) cited that initial study on the pilot areas of the program

showed promising results. In Esperanza and Sibagat, Agusan del Sur for

example, two of the pilot areas of the 4Ps elementary school enrollment has

increased by fifteen percent (15%).Moreover, children covered by 4Ps have

higher attendance compared to the general population of children in school.

There has been a remarkable increase in the use of health services by pregnant

women and children compared to 2007 and there has also been a significant

increase in the vaccination rate as well as a decrease in prevalence of

malnutrition among children.

Moreover, (Orbeta 2011) stated that due to the implementation of the

program, parents now work to compensate for loss of income from children

who attend school. Since beneficiaries are obliged to attend Family

Development Sessions, they now publicly recognize the importance of

education, and are convinced to keep their children in school.

In addition, Meanwhile, Reyes and Mina (2011) found out that the program led

to an increase of 3 to 4.6 percentage points in the school participation rate of

children aged 6-14. The results showed that around 96.3 percent of children of

4Ps families attend school. For the matched non-4Ps families, the rate ranges

from 91.7 to 93.3 percent. However, the program was found to have no impact

on increasing enrolment among the older cohort of children aged 13-17. The

majority of children aged 15-17 were not receiving 4Ps grants as of 2011 since

the age limit for coverage is 14 years old. The authors attribute this to larger

cost associated with sending older children to school and the higher

opportunity cost because they can get employed instead. To address this issue,

many 4Ps programs (i.e., those in Bangladesh, Brazil, Mexico, Honduras, and

Turkey) provide larger cash transfers to older children in order to compensate

for the higher implicit/explicit cost associated with schooling. Younger children

who came from households with relatively smaller number of school-aged

children seem to be benefiting more from the program, compared to those who

came from larger households. No significant impact was found among children

coming from households with more than 3 school-aged children (Meanwhile,

Reyes and Mina 2011).