THE House Committee on Poverty Alleviation has recently approved a bill that seeks to institutionalize the government’s anti-poverty program, dubbed as Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
The proposed “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program Act” aims to reduce poverty and promote human capital development in the country by breaking the inter-generational cycle of poverty, promoting gender equality and ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education.
The 4Ps is a major anti-poverty program of the government, which started during the term of former President Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Second District of Pampanga.
Under the bill, each qualified household beneficiary gets a conditional-cash transfer equivalent to P500 per month for health and nutrition expenses totaling P6,000 per year.
It also said a maximum of three children per qualified household beneficiary shall be given conditional cash grants for education expenses of P300 per month per child enrolled in day care, kindergarten elementary for a 10-month school year, and P500 per month per child enrolled in secondary school for a 10-month school year.
The measure mandates the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to choose qualified household beneficiaries using a standardized targeting system and revalidate the targeting of beneficiaries every three years.
The bill said a Local Verification Committee (LVC) shall be created in every municipality or city to ensure that the initial list of beneficiaries satisfies the eligibility requirements set forth under the Act. The LVC will be composed of two local government unit representatives; a midwife from the barangay, a representative of a DSWD- accredited civil-society organization and a school head as designated by the Department of Education.
The funds necessary to carry out the provisions of the Act shall be charged against those authorized in the current and subsequent General Appropriations Act.
The appropriation shall continue until the program has covered 60 percent of the total number of extremely poor households in the country, as may be determined by the Philippine Statistics Authority at the time of the enactment of the Act.
The bill penalizes any person conspiring with public officials to receive the cash grant. The penalty is imprisonment of one month to six months, or a fine of P10,000 to P20,000, or both imprisonment and fine, at the discretion of the court.