MANILA – The Duterte administration should expedite the implementation of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) law to protect the needy from the consequences of an uptick in inflation, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said recently.
4Ps is a measure granting the poorest of the poor households cash assistance in exchange for complying with conditions in promoting human development goals.
Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs, issued the statement two days after the Philippine Statistics Authority announced that inflation rate last May slightly increased to 3.2 percent in from 3 percent in April due to higher food prices and weaker Philippine peso.
“While the increase in last month’s inflation rate is minimal, the government should nevertheless expedite the full implementation of the 4Ps law. This will shield our underprivileged countrymen from rising prices of basic commodities and help reduce the number of poor Filipino families,” Gatchalian said.
The measure provides P300 to P500 cash grants for every child enrolled in day care and elementary programs and junior high school for a maximum of 10 months each year.
A senior high school student beneficiary, on the other hand, will receive at least P700 a month for a maximum of 10 months a year. Health and nutrition benefits of qualified beneficiaries, on the other hand, must not be lower than P750 a month for up to 10 months per year.
Each household enrolled in the 4Ps program must meet the following conditions:
Pregnant women must avail themselves of pre-natal services, give birth in a health facility attended by a skilled health professional, and receive post-partum and post-natal care for her and her newborn
Children zero to five years old must receive regular health and nutrition services including check-ups and vaccinations
Children one to 14 years old must take deworming pills at least twice a year
Children three to four years old must attend day care or pre-school classes at least 85 percent of the time, while children 5 to 18 years old must attend elementary or secondary classes at least 85 percent of the time
At least one responsible person must attend development sessions conducted by the DSWD at least once a month
“Noong nakaraang taon, madami sa mga mahihirap nating kababayan ang nakaramdam sa naging epekto ng pagtaas ng inflation dahil sa mabagal na implementasyon ng iba’t ibang social mitigating measures. Sana po ay hindi na maulit ang mga naging pagkakamali natin sa implementasyon ng mga programang ito,” Gatchalian noted.
The implementation of provisions of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law, which provide jeepney drivers with fuel subsidy and 4Ps beneficiaries with unconditional cash transfers, were delayed last year.
The provisions were supposed to the shield the beneficiaries from impact of higher excise taxes on fuel and sugar-sweetened beverages under the TRAIN law.
Recent data from the Finance department showed only 9.2 million out of the 10 million household beneficiaries were able to receive unconditional cash transfers since the tax reform law took effect on Jan. 1, 2018. (GMA News)
