Saint Benilde International School (Calamba) Inc.

Crossing, Calamba City, Laguna

TECHNICAL, VOCATIONAL AND LIVELIHOOD EDUCATION

The Effects of ‘Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program’

to its Selected Beneficiaries at Brgy. Palingon Calamba, Laguna

“In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly

governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.”- Confucius, Chinese teacher and philosopher

Poverty is one of most severe issue in the Philippines so that the government

make a program how to help the poor families. What is poverty? Poverty is a small problem with

fact that most of the people have limited economic resources and their standard of living is low.

The people have been deprived of modern facilities in education, health, communication and good

food. Such people are worried due to lack income resources and they are unable to fulfil their needs

to live a life parallel to their neighbours. In this age of competition they feel deprived of their rights

and inferiority complex prevails upon them. They are not given material relations with well-off

people because they are disliked due to poverty. So that government or the Department of Social

Welfare and Development (DSWD) implement here in the Philippines the Pantawid Pamilyang

Pilipino Program (4ps) that brought lot of help in the poorest of the poor.

Conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs are engaged in an integrated approach

in human capital formation and cutting poverty levels. These programs offer monetary transfer to

poor families upon their compliance with the program requirements. These requirements – usually
 Saint Benilde International School (Calamba) Inc.
Crossing, Calamba City, Laguna

TECHNICAL, VOCATIONAL AND LIVELIHOOD EDUCATION

associated with health and nutrition, education and social development – are intended to break the

intergenerational cycle of destitution in different societies. Governments from different countries

around the world, mostly those developing, consider CCT programs as an effective means to

poverty alleviation. Brazil’s Bolsa Familia, Mexico’s Oportunidades and Colombia’s Familias en

Accion are just few of its many kind in Latin America, Africa and Asia. As more nations perceive

CCTs’ beneficial effects, more and more countries try and adopt this modern tool of reducing

poverty. In the Philippines, a CCT initiative was locally adopted. It is designed to eradicate extreme

poverty in the country and promote social development and human capital formation among the

poor and vulnerable households by investing in health and education. It provides financial aid to

the so called ‘poorest of the poor’ families. Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is a right

based program that focuses on human capital investment through provision of health and education

cash grants to eligible poor households [1].The program helps to fulfill the country’s commitment

to meet the Millennium Development Goals; namely, to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; to

achieve universal primary education; to promote gender equality; to reduce child mortality; and to

improve maternal health [2]. First introduced in 2007, Ahon Pamilyang Pilipino, a CCT program,

was tested in the municipalities of Sibagat and Esperanza in Agusan del Sur, the municipalities of

Lopez Jaena and Bonifacio in Misamis Occidental, the CARAGA Region, and the cities of Pasay

and Caloocan. In 2008, the formal implementation of Ahon Pamilyang Pilipino started and it was

renamed as Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). The Department of Social Welfare and

Development set guidelines and objectives implemented with the coordinated inter-agency

network among the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

 Saint Benilde International School (Calamba) Inc.
Crossing, Calamba City, Laguna

TECHNICAL, VOCATIONAL AND LIVELIHOOD EDUCATION

The importance of this research is to know the effects or the impacts of Pantawid

Pamilyang Pilipino Program weather it is positive or negative. In this study the researcher will

study if it is effective, they will study the effectiveness and the effect to those beneficiaries. They

will study the importance or how the mention program help with those beneficiaries in their lives.

Background of the study

Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Programs is a condition cash transfer (CCR) program that

provide cash grants to poor household with Children 0-14 years old and /or pregnant mother,

provided that they comply with the conditions set by the programs objectives.

Social Assistance -provides condition cash assistance to the poor to elleviate their immediate

needs (short term poverty); and social development aims to break intergenerational poverty cycle

through investment in humans capital who are qualified for Pantawid Pamilya? A household may

qualify for Pantawid Pamilya as a beneficiary if it satisfies two(2) criteria : 1.) at the time of the

survey the household must be classified as poor, based on the national household targetting

system for poverty reduction (NHTS-PR) and 2.) Have a pregnant woman and/or children 0-14

years old as household members. Thus being included in the NHTS-PR list of poor household

does not automatically qualify a household for Pantawid Pamilya, on the same manner, not all

households with a pregnant women or young children as members will qualify for the program.

What are the conditions of the Pantawid Pamilya?

 Saint Benilde International School (Calamba) Inc.
Crossing, Calamba City, Laguna

TECHNICAL, VOCATIONAL AND LIVELIHOOD EDUCATION

Health and nutrition conditions require periodic checkups, growth, monitoring and vaccination

for children 0-5 years of age; twice a year intake of the worming pills for children 6-14 years old,

pre and prenatal care for pregnant woman and attendance of parents in family development

session where responsible parenthood is discussed. Education conditions include day- care and

school enrollment, attendance equivalent to 85% percent of school days for children 3-14 years

old, both conditions are meant to improve the poor household economic prospect to help them

move out of poverty. What does the program offer to households?

Household that comply with all the health condition will receive P500 per month, household that

comply with the education conditions will receive P300 per child per month. Up to three

qualified children can benefit from the education grant. Education grants will only be given

during months with classes. The cash grants, which are given every two month’s will be received

directly by household beneficiaries through their land Bank cash cards or through over-the-

counter payments at land bank branches. The land Bank also utilizes other modes to distribute

the cash in hard to- reach areas such as off-site payment, and G- cash remit. Other payment

schemes are continuously being explored, also in collaboration with the private sector, is

Pantawid Pamilya program dole- out?

No conditional cash grants are given only to households which comply with the program

conditions. Beneficiary sign an Oath of Commitment, there by establishing a "social contract",

where they agree to take number of concrete steps to improve their lives and those of their

children. Beneficiaries who fail to comply with certain conditions will not receive the Benefit

corresponding to the conditions and are given reminders. Failure to comply for a third time will

lead to suspension of cash grants, in which beneficiaries are given 12 months to appeal and
 Saint Benilde International School (Calamba) Inc.
Crossing, Calamba City, Laguna

TECHNICAL, VOCATIONAL AND LIVELIHOOD EDUCATION

comply. Failure to comply for fourth time will render the beneficiary ineligible and will be given

notice that they will be delisted. Does Pantawid Pamilya encourage indolence/mendicancy

among its beneficiaries? No, first, the conditional cash grant only arguments the household

income and assist parents to support their household basic needs.

The amount is not enough to support a family and will therefore not lead productive members of

the household to stop working or stop looking for work. Second this assistance is only

temporary. Beneficiaries are expected to graduate from the program after 5 years. The program

has family development sessions where beneficiaries are taught about responsible parenthood

(parenting duties, obligations) and how to supplement.