Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) - Updated Guideline.

What is 4Ps?
4Ps is a poverty reduction strategy that provides grants to extremely poor households to improve their health, nutrition and education particularly of children aged 0-14.

4Ps has dual objectives:

• Social Assistance – to provide cash assistance to the poor, to alleviate their needs (short term poverty alleviation)
• Social Development – to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty through investments in human capital (nutrition, health and education

4Ps is patterned after the successful Conditional CashTransfer (CCT) Programs in Latin America and Africa. CCT has been cited as one of the key factors behind the positive socio-economic outcomes achieved by Brazil where 11 million families are currently enrolled in the program, and other countries.

The poorest households in the country selected through a uniform, objective and transparent set of criteria.

What are the criteria in the selection of beneficiaries?

There are three steps in identifying the beneficiaries:

1. Provinces were selected using the following criteria: a) 20 poorest provinces based on the 2006 Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES); b) Poorest provinces in six regions without a province in the list of the 20 poorest provinces; c) Five cities in the NCR, two in the Visayas, two in Mindanao and one in the Cordillera.
2. The selection of the poorest municipalities from the above provinces based on the Small Area Estimates (SAE) and FIES where saturation surveys of households are being conducted.
3. Computerized selection of the poorest households based on a ranking system using Proxy Means Test developed for the program.

The PMT Assesses socio-economic characteristics such as:
ownership of assets, type of housing unit, level of educational attainment of
household heads, and access to water and sanitation facilities.

The DSWD selects the beneficiaries based no the targeting
system developed for the program.

Do legislators, local chief executives or barangay officials
participate in the selection of beneficiaries?

NO. However, concerned LGUs assist DSWD staff in the conduct
of community assemblies which hare part of the program process and procedures.

What does 4Ps offer?

4Ps provides conditional grants to the beneficiaries such as:

• P6000 a year or P500 per month per household for health and nutrition expenses, and
• P3000 for one school year or 10 months or 300 / month per child for educational expenses. A maximum of three children per household is allowed.

A household with three qualified children can have a subsidy of P1,400 per month or P15,000 annually as long as they comply with the conditions. To avail cash grants, beneficiaries should comply with the following conditions:

• Pregnant women must get pre and post natal care, and be attended by a skilled/ trained professional during a child birth.
• Parents or guardians must attend responsible family development sessions.
• Children 0-5 years old must receive regular preventive health check ups and vaccines.
• Children 3-5 years old must attend day care or pre school classes at least 85% of the time.
• Children 6-14 years old must enroll in elementary or high school and attend at least 85% of the time.
• Children 6-14 years old must avail of deworming pills every five months.

YES. The DSWD in coordination with the advisory councils composed of DepEd, DOH, DILG, NAPC and the LGU representatives at the national. Regional and municipal levels will verify compliance every month using monitoring tools developed for this purpose.

How do the beneficiaries get their money?

The quarterly cash grants shall be received by the most responsible person in the household through a Landbank cash card.

In cases where payment through cash card is not feasible, the beneficiaries shall be provided their cash grants through an alternative payment scheme such as over the counter transactions from the nearest Landbank branch or offsite payments through an authorized rural banks.

 Non-compliance to the conditions will result in the suspension of cash grants or dropping from the program.

Isn’t this a form of dole-out considering that cash is directly given?

NO. It is a development program that invests in human capital. The beneficiaries must meet specific conditions before they can get the cash assistance. 4Ps enhances the role of parents and helps them accomplish their duties and responsibilities to their children. It encourages them to invest in the future, their own, and those of their children.

How long will the beneficiaries receive the cash grants?

Each household beneficiary will receive the cash grants for at most five years.