PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday ordered the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), in coordination with local government units, to conduct a new census using the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) to help update the government’s database that is used to identify beneficiaries for various anti-poverty and social protection program.
Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the President likewise said that the census should be done every four years. The last survey, which is the Listahanan 3, was conducted in 2019.
Listahanan 3 is the basis for determining the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). Gatchalian said a new census is needed to update the list of 4Ps beneficiaries, especially since more than 700,000 families graduated from the program as of early February.
PSA head, Undersecretary Nestor Mapa, during the sectoral meeting in Malacañang, said they will begin the census once the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) releases its budget for this year.
He said they will come up with a new list by the end the year.
Under RA 11315 or the CBMS Act, the PSA is mandated to implement the census through the generation of data at the local level which serves as a basis in targeting households for government programs geared towards poverty alleviation and economic development.
The CBMS collects statistical and geospatial information for local-level planning and beneficiary targeting, which enables local governments to exercise data-driven decision making, as well as support national government agencies in targeting beneficiaries.
In the same meeting, The President also directed the National Economic and Development Authority, the PSA, and the DSWD to find ways to ensure that government aid programs such as 4Ps continue to be responsive to the effects of inflation to the poorest of the poor.
Gatchalian said the three agencies are studying the “best index” to use to adjust government grants to address inflationary changes.
Asked if a timeline was issued, he said the President wants it done “as soon as possible.”
“Isa sa mga inatasan niyang pag-aralan namin is paano huwag mag-diminish o mabawasan ‘yung halaga ng mga financial assistance or grants na ibinibigay natin sa ating mga mahihirap na kababayan (One of the things he ordered studied is how to prevent the diminishing or lowering of the value of the financial assistance or grants that we give our poor kababayans),” he said.
Gatchalian said inflation hits the bottom 30 percent of income households the hardest.
As this developed, Gatchalian said the government is still studying the proposal of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to provide kilos of rice instead of P600 monthly rice subsidy to the 4Ps beneficiaries.
“We always say it’s logistically hard,” he said, adding that the department usually releases the 4Ps payout every two months and is usually received by women.
He said the current 4.4 million beneficiaries are also spread across different areas in the country and the storage for the rice that would be distributed should also be considered.
Gatchalian said another point to consider is that providing actual rice to 4Ps beneficiaries will go against the President’s order to ensure speedy and convenient access to all assistance from the government.
“I told the President we will continue studying, but the President also said na baka logistically mahirapan, so nandoon muna tayo. We’re not saying no, studies are ongoing (I told the President we will continue studying, but the President also said that it may be logistically difficult, so that’s where we are. We’re not saying no, studies are ongoing),” he said.
Gatchalian said the government is also studying another possible amendment to the 4Ps program which is the inclusion of a cash subsidy to cover the first 1,000 days of a child’s life.
He said this would help ensure compliance with the health requirements of 4Ps.
The first one thousand days of a child covers the period conception up to two years old which is a vital period to address stunting and malnutrition.
