MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has extended the benefits under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) for qualified beneficiaries beyond the maximum seven-year period.
Based on Executive Order 120, qualified beneficiaries whose eligibility to program benefits under Republic Act 11310 or the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program Act shall continue to be qualified as 4Ps beneficiaries and receive benefits beyond such period, for as long as they remain classified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as Level 1 (survival) or Level 2 (subsistence) under the Social Welfare and Development Indicator (SWDI) tool.
The National Advisory Council has recommended to the President the extension of program benefits beyond the seven-year period for qualified 4Ps beneficiaries, recognizing that the exceptional circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted household incomes, reversed developmental gains, heightened beneficiary vulnerability and limited the ability of affected beneficiaries to fully realize the intended outcomes of the program within the required period.
“There is a need to ensure that 4Ps beneficiaries affected by exceptional circumstances continue to receive adequate support under the program until they achieve the level of self-sufficiency as contemplated by RA No. 11310,” the EO read.
EO 120 directed the DSWD to adopt a strengthened case management system using the enhanced SWDI tool or such other tools as the agency may deem necessary to assess the well-being and readiness of 4Ps beneficiaries for graduation.
The funding requirements for the implementation of the order shall be charged against the current and available appropriations of the DSWD.
Thereafter, the funding requirements necessary for the continued implementation of the order shall be included in the budget proposals of the DSWD.
The 4Ps is a national poverty reduction strategy and human capital investment program that provides conditional cash transfer to poor families.