The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has approved the creation of over 4,000 positions in the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to support the implementation of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
In a statement yesterday, the DBM said the creation of 4,265 Project Development Officer II (PDO II) contractual positions has been approved for the different field offices of the DSWD.
“Supporting the 4Ps is crucial in inclusive development, empowering families and breaking the cycle of poverty in the Philippines. With this move, we are also generating employment opportunities, which in some ways help stabilize our economy,” Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said.
Specifically, the DBM said the contractual PDO positions were created to augment the existing staff of the DSWD to manage their workload better, aiming for a caseload of one case manager for every 300 households.
Case managers play a significant role in the successful implementation of 4Ps at the grassroots level since they directly interact with beneficiaries, the DBM said.
These contractual positions will be filled by the DSWD’s existing contract of service (COS) and job order (JO) workers from its field offices nationwide who are already involved in 4Ps case management.
As of August 31, 2023, the implementation of the 4Ps has covered a total of 3,976,653 household beneficiaries across 41,676 barangays in the entire country or 90.38 percent of the 4.4 million target households, based on the 2023 report of the DSWD.
Previously, the DBM authorized the creation of 12,637 contractual positions that were occupied by the COS/JO workers engaged in implementing the 4Ps.
Out of the approved contractual positions, 5,291 contractual positions served as case managers in the pursuit of the 4Ps.
Funds for the creation of the 4,265 PDO II contractual positions shall be charged against the available allotment of the DSWD.
In case of deficiency, the funding requirement will be sourced from the available appropriations in the 2024 General Appropriations Act.
