THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has approved the release of P5 billion to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for additional funding of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
In a statement, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said the fund, which will be sourced from the 2023 national budget’s Continuing Appropriations, will be used to cover the unpaid 2023 grants of 703,888 deactivated or suspended 4Ps households.
The DSWD has previously said that these families were deactivated from the program after they graduated from poverty. However, they were re-included in the list of the country’s poorest of the poor after they slid back to poverty due to the impacts of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
“Through this allocation, the DSWD can continue its critical work without interruption, providing much-needed assistance to our most vulnerable citizens,” Pangandaman said.
She also said the funding is expected to help ease the impact of inflation on the poor sector.
“The DBM will do its part to streamline budget processes so that our citizens benefit from faster and more efficient delivery of essential services such as our 4Ps,” she also said.
During his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) last month, President Marcos Jr. reported that over 420,000 households have graduated from the 4Ps, or those who have been assessed as self-sufficient since his previous SONA.
The 4Ps offers conditional cash transfers to poor households to improve health, nutrition and education outcomes.
Pangandaman said the additional P5 billion will strengthen these efforts, allowing the initiative to sustain operations and reach even more families.
There are more than 4.2 million households currently under 4Ps. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
