THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) yesterday said 25,904 family beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) nationwide graduated from the program in the first quarter of the year.
DSWD Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said most of the families have achieved “self-sufficiency” status, while others volunteered to exit from the program.
“The graduation of these households signifies not only achieving economic stability but also empowering households with new-found competency to cope with challenges and to contribute to the development of their respective communities. Also, the 4Ps beneficiaries become active partners in connecting the government’s programs and services to other vulnerable and underprivileged families,” Dumlao said.
Dumlao said the DSWD has endorsed the “graduates” to their respective local government units either for further interventions to sustain their level of well-being or for aftercare monitoring.
Dumlao said DSWD remains committed to supporting the 4Ps graduates as they continue their journey towards greater economic independence.
“By investing in human capital and providing vulnerable families with the tools they need to succeed, the program has made significant steps in reducing poverty and improving the well-being of Filipinos,” she said.
There are at least four million household beneficiaries of 4Ps, which is the government’s flagship program for poverty alleviation that seeks to enhance the lives of poor Filipinos through investment in children’s education, nutrition, and health.
With the graduation of the more than 25,000 families, a similar number of poor households who are on the waiting list can now be accommodated in the program.
