Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino

Program
(4Ps)

Benitez, Joel III, P.

Sison, Christian Joseph, B.

Background:

The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program is a human development program of the national
government that invests in the health and education of poor households, particularly of children
aged 0-18 years old.

Patterned after the conditional cash transfer scheme implemented in other developing countries,
the Pantawid Pamilya provides cash grants to beneficiaries provided that they comply with the set
of conditions required by the program.1

Objectives:2

The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program has two objectives:

 social assistance, giving monetary support to extremely poor families to respond to their
immediate needs; and
 social development, breaking the intergenerational poverty cycle by investing in the health
and education of poor children through programs such as:
o health check-ups for pregnant women and children aged 0 to 5;
o deworming of schoolchildren aged 6 to 14;
o enrollment of children in daycare, elementary, and secondary schools; and
o family development sessions.

1
http://pantawid.dswd.gov.ph/index.php/about-us
2
http://www.gov.ph/programs/conditional-cash-transfer/
Rationale3

Pantawid Pamilya helps to fulfill the country’s commitment to meet the Millennium Development
Goals, namely:

 Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger

 Achieve Universal Primary Education
 Promote Gender Equality
 Reduce Child Mortality
 Improve Maternal Health

Coverage4

The 4Ps operates in all the 17 regions in the Philippines, covering 79 provinces, 143 cities, and
1,484 municipalities. Beneficiaries are selected through the National Household Targeting System
for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR), which identifies who and where the poor are in the country.

In general, the following criteria must be satisfied to become eligible for the program:

 Residents of the poorest municipalities, based on 2003 Small Area Estimates (SAE) of the
National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB)

 Households whose economic condition is equal to or below the provincial poverty

threshold

 Households that have children 0-18 years old and/or have a pregnant woman at the time of
assessment

 Households that agree to meet conditions specified in the program

3
http://pantawid.dswd.gov.ph/index.php/about-us
4
http://www.gov.ph/programs/conditional-cash-transfer/
Cash Grants5

The 4Ps has two types of cash grants that are given out to household-beneficiaries:

 health grant: P500 per household every month, or a total of P6,000 every year

 education grant: P300 per child every month for ten months, or a total of P3,000 every
year (a household may register a maximum of three children for the program)

For a household with three children, a household may receive P1,400 every month, or a total of
P15,000 every year for five years, from the two types of cash grants given to them.

These cash grants are distributed to the household-beneficiaries through the Land Bank of the
Philippines or, if not feasible, through alternate payment schemes such as Globe G-Cash
remittance and rural bank transactions.

Conditions of Compliance6

To avail of the cash grants beneficiaries should comply with the following conditions:

1. Pregnant women must avail pre- and post-natal care and be attended during childbirth by
a trained health professional;

2. Parents must attend Family Development Sessions (FDS);

3. 0-5-year-old children must receive regular preventive health check-ups and vaccines;

4. 6-14 years old children must receive deworming pills twice a year.

5. All child beneficiaries (0-18 years old) must enroll in school and maintain a class
attendance of at least 85% per month.

5
http://www.gov.ph/programs/conditional-cash-transfer/
6
http://pantawid.dswd.gov.ph/index.php/about-us
 Affected
Possible Objectives of
Area of Agency or Key Unit of Office
No. Strategy or Strategy or Time Frame
Concern Target Considerations to Implement
Solution Solution
Audience
There is no The Since there are Beneficiaries To promote Department of From
guarantee that beneficiaries; a lot of citizens must have a transparency Social Welfare implementation
the Cash Grants being covered physical record within the and to the end of the
beneficiaries distributers by the program, whenever they beneficiaries Development program.
are receiving there is little to are accepting and those (DSWD)
the exact no way to check their cash giving the cash
amount nor if if the cash grants. They grants
they are grants are also must fill physically.
receiving it on arriving to the up a form
1
time. beneficiaries on which will
time and in the state the
exact amount. amount they
The have received,
beneficiaries and the name
cannot of the person
complain whom they
because they received it
are afraid that from. That
 the might lose form will be
their benefits. sent to the
regional office
of the DSWD
for compiling.
With the The The 4Ps are Since the In order for the DSWD; One Year
current stature beneficiaries; currently one of problem is program to Congress
of the the the programs about the return to its
Philippines, administrators that directly insufficient goal to
the cash grants of the program help the people amount of cash alleviate the
are slowly below the grants, the burden of
becoming poverty line. program must poverty to the
insufficient for With much increase the people.
2 its people relying base amount
beneficiaries on the cash given to the
and more grants, and with beneficiaries.
people are an increase of Congress must
joining the prices of goods, approve for the
program. the cash grants increase of
can no longer budget for the
support the size program.
of the family of
 the
beneficiaries.
The The The program is The program To prevent the DSWD 3-4 months
beneficiaries beneficiaries intended to must have a beneficiaries
might stay increase the time period of to exploit the
dependent on welfare of its at least 2-3 program and
the program beneficiaries years for each to also fulfill
due to its cash and to finally let of the its goal to only
benefits. them stand on beneficiaries in be an
their own feet. order to assistance and
With the prevent the not as a
program is abuse of the sustenance for
3
giving cash program and the people.
grants as long also to
as the family is accommodate
still in the scope more people
of the who are more
qualifications, in need of the
they may cash grants.
exploit the
program and as
a result, may
 stay dependent
on the program
and those who
are more in
need of the cash
grants cannot
apply because
of the budget
constraint of the
government.
The program The Cash grants Beneficiaries To help the DSWD; PAG- 3 months
gives cash beneficiaries given to the should also be beneficiaries IBIG; other
grants to the people can be given seminars to properly use governmental
beneficiaries both a help and on how to start their cash service
which can be a harm. The a livelihood grants and to departments
used in beneficiaries business with prevent them
4
whatever they might spend the their money from abusing
can which may money poorly and maybe the program
or may not and instead of decrease the
help their lifting them cash grants that
status of above the they receive
living. poverty line, and apply them
 they might in
further sink to governmental
the bottom. services like
PAG-IBIG.
The The Due to the The program To fulfill its DSWD 3 months
Credibility of Beneficiaries; program must apply role of helping
the the primarily stricter the poor
Beneficiaries administrators known as the qualifications increase their
of the program one that gives that must be way of life by
out cash grants updated constantly
to beneficiaries, regularly by removing
there will the those who
always be beneficiaries to might abuse
5
people that will ensure their the program
abuse it. validity as a for their own
Especially part of the personal gain.
those that are program. Also,
not even there must be
qualified to the random check-
program. They up of the
cheat their way personnel
to a spot in the involved with
 program and the application
therefore of the
neglecting one beneficiaries to
family who decrease the
might need it chance of
the most. corruption.
The program The projected Due to mass Since it is not To add Department of 3 months
requires a beneficiaries number of poor possible to additional Social Welfare
large amount and the people in the reduce poverty income to the and
of finance. recipients that country, large through beneficiaries Development
Thus, not all were already amount of financial for them to be with the
projected qualified. budget should assistance able to stand assistance of
beneficiaries be allotted to only, other alone and Local
were reach and this program. alternatives lessen their Government
the recipients Through the like training dependency to Units and
will have a offer of 4Ps and livelihood the Department of
low financial which is 6000 seminars will government. Labour and
6 assistance. annually to the help poor Employment
beneficiaries households to
we can assume act
that the independently.
program lacks
the financial
capability to
support the
needs of the
poor and thus
having less
competency to
reach the other
 poor possible
beneficiaries.
Possible The other The dishonesty Conducting To lessen or if DSWD and 5-6 months
exploitation of qualified of persons in inspection and possible Civil Service
the persons in beneficiaries charge resulted evaluation of eradicate the Commission
charge. Such and the to unfair the persons in corrupt staffs.
as biased in administrator selection. The charge and on Also, allowing
selection of of the program other the the real
beneficiaries beneficiaries beneficiaries of qualified
and reduction are not really the said beneficiaries
of cash poor but still program. to avail on the
benefits they were able program.
receive by the to avail because
7 beneficiaries. of their
connections to
the personnel in
the
government.
There is also the
risk that
financial
assistance will
be lessen due to
corrupt staffs.

Other poverty Other poor Since 4Ps is the Revision of the To also DSWD 4 months
alleviation sectors like leading poverty target provide
program will unemployed, alleviation beneficiaries. assistance to
8 be given lower indigenous program, the other poor
priority. people, elderly, other programs sectors
person with for
disabilities, and unemployed,
elderly, out of
 out of school school youth,
youth indigenous
people, and
other poor
sectors that are
not included on
the qualified
household will
be given less
priority.

There is no The The lack of cash Creating To create DSWD and 1 Year
guarantee that beneficiaries assistance itlivelihood progress on Local
the provide and the programs the daily living Government
beneficiaries incorrect use of specifically for of poor sector Units.
of this the cash the poor and ensure
program were benefits are households proper
able to factors on why that will allow management
improve their there is no them to gain of the income
daily living. assured income to assistance.
9 improvement support their
on the lives of daily needs.
the poor sector Also, to make
sure that the
cash benefit is
used properly,
conduct annual
surveillance to
the
beneficiaries.
Sustainability The Due to the Focusing on To have a fix DSWD and 8 months
10 of the beneficiaries scope of the job generation source of other
program. program, a and livelihood
 and the large amount of program for a income for the interagency
government fund will be long term household. council.
needed and impact.
thus, the
sustainability of
the program in
long term is
hard to achieve.

*Numbers 1-5 = Benitez, Joel III, P.

**Numbers 6-10 = Sison, Christian Joseph, B.

References:

Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. (n.d.). Retrieved July 24, 2016, from
http://www.gov.ph/programs/conditional-cash-transfer/

About Pantawid Pamilya. (n.d.). Retrieved July 26, 2016, from

http://pantawid.dswd.gov.ph/index.php/about-us