Official Gazzette

The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is a human development measure of the national
government that provides conditional cash grants to the poorest of the poor, to improve the health,
nutrition, and the education of children aged 0-18. It is patterned after the conditional cash transfer
(CCT) schemes in Latin American and African countries, which have lifted millions of people
around the world from poverty.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is the lead government agency of
the 4Ps.

OBJECTIVES

The 4Ps has dual objectives as the flagship poverty alleviation program of the Aquino
administration:

1. social assistance, giving monetary support to extremely poor families to respond to their
immediate needs; and
2. social development, breaking the intergenerational poverty cycle by investing in the health
and education of poor children through programs such as:
o health check-ups for pregnant women and children aged 0 to 5;
o deworming of schoolchildren aged 6 to 14;
o enrollment of children in daycare, elementary, and secondary schools; and
o family development sessions.

The 4Ps also helps the Philippine government fulfill its commitment to the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs)—specifically in eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, in
achieving universal primary education, in promoting gender equality, in reducing child mortality,
and in improving maternal health care.

COVERAGE

The 4Ps operates in all the 17 regions in the Philippines, covering 79 provinces, 143 cities, and
1,484 municipalities. Beneficiaries are selected through the National Household Targeting System
for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR), which identifies who and where the poor are in the country.

In general, the following criteria must be satisfied to become eligible for the program:

 Residents of the poorest municipalities, based on 2003 Small Area Estimates (SAE) of the
National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB)
 Households whose economic condition is equal to or below the provincial poverty
threshold
 Households that have children 0-18 years old and/or have a pregnant woman at the time of
assessment
 Households that agree to meet conditions specified in the program
Complementing the 4Ps is the Modified Conditional Cash Transfer (MCCT) Program, which
caters to families in need of special protection. These include street families, itinerant indigenous
families, families displaced by natural and man-made disasters, families with a person with
disability (PWD), child laborers, children in conflict with the law, and families with members with
terminal disease and victims of human trafficking.

As of August 26, 2015, there are 4,353,597 active household-beneficiaries, of which 570,056 are
indigenous households and 217,359 have at least one PWD. The program also covers 10,235,658
schoolchildren aged 0 to 18, from the total registered with an average of two to three children per
household.

CASH GRANTS

The 4Ps has two types of cash grants that are given out to household-beneficiaries:

 health grant: P500 per household every month, or a total of P6,000 every year
 education grant: P300 per child every month for ten months, or a total of P3,000 every
year (a household may register a maximum of three children for the program)

For a household with three children, a household may receive P1,400 every month, or a total of
P15,000 every year for five years, from the two types of cash grants given to them.

These cash grants are distributed to the household-beneficiaries through the Land Bank of the
Philippines or, if not feasible, through alternate payment schemes such as Globe G-Cash
remittance and rural bank transactions.

As of August 2015, a total of P27.15 billion cash grants were paid to eligible and compliant
beneficiaries for the first to third period of 2015 covering January to August disbursements. From
this amount, P13.23 billion was paid for education, and the remaining P13.92 billion was disbursed
for health.

CONDITIONS AND COMPLIANCE

In order to receive the abovementioned subsidies, all the succeeding conditions must be met by
the household-beneficiaries:

1. Pregnant women must avail pre- and post-natal care, and be attended during childbirth by
a trained professional;
2. Parents or guardians must attend the family development sessions, which include topics on
responsible parenting, health, and nutrition;
3. Children aged 0-5 must receive regular preventive health check-ups and vaccines;
4. Children aged 6-14 must receive deworming pills twice a year; and
5. Children-beneficiaries aged 3-18 must enroll in school, and maintain an attendance of at
least 85% of class days every month.
High compliance rates were recorded for the months of March and April 2015: 99.91% for the
deworming of children aged 6-14; 98.99% for school attendance of children aged 6-14; 98.33%
for school attendance of children in daycare aged 3-5; 97.05% for school attendance of children
aged 15-18; 95.95% for health visits of pregnant women and children aged 0-5; and 94.84% for
attendance in family development sessions.

PARTNERSHIPS WITH GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

In partnership with the Commission on Higher Education, the Department of Labor and
Employment, and the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges, 4Ps has enrolled
36,003 beneficiaries in state universities and colleges as of June 2015.

Additionally, in partnership with PhilHealth, 4Ps has covered 4.4 million beneficiaries under the
National Health Insurance Program.
World Bank

 The conditional cash transfer (CCT) program locally known as Pantawid Pamilya
Pilipino Program, or 4Ps, is a government program that provides conditional cash grants
to the poorest of the poor in the Philippines. The program aims to break the cycle of
poverty by keeping children aged 0-18 healthy and in school, so they can have a better
future.
 The program is implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development,
with the Department of Health, the Department of Education and the National Economic
and Development Authority as partners.
 Households receive cash grants if children stay in school and get regular health check-
ups, have their growth monitored, and receive vaccines. Pregnant women must get pre-
natal care, with their births attended to by professional health workers. Parents or
guardians are required to participate in monthly community-based Family Development
Sessions to learn about positive child discipline, disaster preparedness, and women’s
rights.
 Beneficiaries are objectively selected through the National Household Targeting System,
also known as Listahanan, which is based from a survey of the physical structure of their
houses, the number of rooms and occupants, their access to running water, and other
factors affecting their living conditions.
 The program has one of the most comprehensive poverty targeting databases in the world
today, covering 75% of the country’s population. It has been used extensively to identify
poor and near-poor beneficiaries for national and local government programs.
 Started in 2007, the government expanded the program in December 2016 to reach a total
of 20 million Filipinos belonging to 4.4 million households. The program benefits about
20% of the population, the majority of the nation’s poor.
 9 million children are currently benefiting from the program, 1.9 million of which are in
high school. The program has also achieved almost universal enrollment for elementary
age children of 4Ps households.
 Social protection programs, Pantawid included, have cushioned the poor from the adverse
impacts of various shocks the country experienced over the past six years. A study
estimates that the program has led to a poverty reduction of 1.4 percentage points per
year or 1.5 million less poor Filipinos.
 The 4Ps is currently the world’s fourth-largest CCT program based on population
coverage. It complements the government’s other development priorities such as
generating jobs and creating livelihood opportunities for the poor.

General Impact

 1.5 million less poor Filipinos or an estimated poverty reduction impact of 1.4
percentage points per year
 Household heads, spouses, and other adults are more encouraged to work and set up their
own businesses
 87% of 4Ps parents are now more optimistic about their situation and their children’s
futures
Health

 Reduction in severe stunting among beneficiary children

 Lower maternal mortality in the past five years because more mothers deliver babies in
health facilities (7/10 live births)
 Drastic decrease in alcoholism in 4Ps households (spending on vices was lower by 39%)
 4Ps beneficiaries consume more rice and cereals than non-beneficiaries

Education

 10.18 million children currently benefit from CCT, 1.9 million of which are in high
school
 Near universal school enrolment of elementary age children for 4Ps households (98%)
 6% higher gross enrollment rate for beneficiary high school students
 Higher spending on education among 4Ps households (206 Pesos more per school-aged
child per month vs non-4Ps)
 Decrease in child labor days (7 days less a month for 4Ps households)
 333,673 graduated from high-school in 2015, 13,400 of which received honors

Local Economies

 P households invest more in working assets (livestock, machineries) than non-

beneficiaries
 4Ps households spend more on basic needs such as food, education and medicine that
stimulate the growth of the local economy
FAQs on the Conditional Cash Transfer program
October 31, 2013

From the Department of Social Welfare and Development

Below are frequently asked questions on Conditional Cash Transfer.

Q: For the year 2014, what is the proposed budget for CCT?

For 2014, the Pantawid Pamilya proposed a budget amounting to P62,614,247,297 to cover
children aged 15-18.

Q: How many will be the projected beneficiaries that will be covered?

The Pantawid Pamilya expects to cover 4,309,769 households under the regular Conditional
Cash Transfer (CCT) and Expanded CCT while 131,963 households for the Modified CCT.

Q: Will it cover all the poor and non-poor nationwide?

No. To be eligible beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilya, the household must be tagged as poor
based on the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR). The
household must also satisfy the following:

a. The household must have children aged 0-14 or

b. Have a household member who is pregnant at the time of the enumeration.

Q: Is there a plan to extend CCT (for those who will be graduating this year 2013). Why? Why
not?

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) proposed for the expansion of
the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program to cover children aged 15-18.

The expansion is in consonant with the main message of the program that is to keep children
in school and make them healthy.

The expansion of the Pantawid Pamilya to eligible older children and the proposed increased
educational grant from 300.00 to 500.00 is seen to provide them with higher incentives to
stay in school and to have higher chances to break the cycle of poverty. The higher education
grant can cover higher transportation costs of children going to high schools which are
commonly found in the town.

Q: For those beneficiaries who have children that will be graduating but aren’t yet finish high
school, what assistance will be provided by DSWD to ensure that they can finish high school and
be productive later?
With the proposed expansion, the children beneficiaries will be able to finish high school and
will have better chances of improving their lives.

Q: Are there plans to help the deserving and promising children of CCT to continue their college
education? How?

Currently, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in coordination with the DSWD
and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) implements the Students’ Grants-
in-aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (SGP-PA). Under the program, other children of the
household beneficiary will have an opportunity to pursue tertiary education provided that
they qualify for the said scholarship. As of 22 April 2013, Pantawid Pamilya has 3,819 college
scholars from the different regions nationwide who are enrolled in the different State
Universities and Colleges (SUCs) duly recognized by CHED.

Q: Are there any proposals to improve further the CCT?

The department is geared towards ensuring that the program is efficiently implemented such
that our beneficiaries will be accorded the fastest, easiest means.

We have an established grievance redress mechanism to capture complaints/ grievances

coming from the general public. At present, complaints/ grievances are documented through
text hotline: 09189122813; call hotline (available in Metro Manila only) 943-DSWD (943-
3793); facebook: Tanggapan ng Reklamo.

In 2012, the department also institutionalized for the creation of the Gender and
Development Unit and the Indigenous Peoples Unit.

The DSWD through the Land Bank is closely working to ensure that beneficiaries who do
not have cash cards will receive their grants through the most convenient and economical
means.

Q: How will you defend CCT against its critics that it encourages dependency?

Since the program was launched in 2008, the DSWD is confident that the Pantawid Pamilya
will not foster mendicancy. The grant provided with each household only covers roughly
18% of the household’s need. This means that the cash grant which is a maximum of
P1,400.00 per household is not enough to cover all the expenses of the family.

Q: Long-term benefits of CCT

The Pantawid Pamilya is an investment in the health and education of poor households
primarily of children aged 0-14 and as proposed, to cover 15-18 year-old. In the long run,
these children will form part of the nation’s productivity and development.

One of the unique components of the Pantawid Pamilya is the inclusion of the Family
Development Session (FDS) that provides modular discussion on strengthening family
relations, children’s and women’s rights, proper health care, nutrition, and sanitation. With
the FDS, we expect households with strengthened family relations and are also empowered
members of the community.

Q: What are the proposals of participating children during the national children’s congress
presented to President Aquino in Malacañang?

The children who participated in the recently concluded National Children’s Congress
basically coined the children’s vision of finishing their studies. According to the children,
education will be their main weapon in ensuring that they will have better and improved
quality of life. The said proposals documented in different forms such as poem, song, and
manifesto will later on be presented to the President.