THE DEPARTMENT of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region 6 recently announced that 30,858 households in Western Visayas have officially “graduated” from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) as of March 31, 2025. These families are said to have breached the self-sufficiency threshold — defined as earning at least P30,850 per month — and are therefore deemed no longer in need of government cash aid.
On paper, this may appear to be a success story. But in reality, it raises an important question: Is an income of P30,850 per month truly enough to sustain a family in today’s volatile economy? More importantly, does this figure reflect genuine and lasting resilience against poverty, or is it a fragile line easily erased by illness, unemployment, or inflation?
In Iloilo Province alone, the region’s highest contributor to these “graduated” households, 13,048 families are now presumed capable of fending for themselves. Capiz follows with 7,292, Antique with 5,895, Aklan with 3,319, and Guimaras with 1,304. In total, these families make up nearly 41% of all 4Ps households that have exited the program in Region 6. The DSWD considers them “self-sufficient,” but this classification is based solely on monthly income — a snapshot that fails to capture the complete picture.
A household may be earning P30,850 today, but what about tomorrow? What happens if a parent loses a job, a child falls ill, or a natural disaster wipes out a source of livelihood? Without strong social safety nets, these so-called self-sufficient households can easily fall back into poverty. Income is a useful indicator, but it must not be the only lens through which we measure well-being.
Moreover, in provinces like Antique and Capiz where economic opportunities remain limited and many rely on seasonal or informal work, the sustainability of such income levels is questionable. Is this “graduation” truly a celebration of progress, or merely a bureaucratic milestone?
This is not to undermine the efforts of the DSWD, which continues to serve nearly 196,488 active 4Ps households in the region, but to urge a more holistic approach in determining readiness for exit. Graduation should not just mean the end of cash grants — it should signify real transition: access to stable employment, affordable healthcare, quality education, and protection from economic shocks.
It is also crucial for local government units to step up. LGUs must ensure that programs are in place to support these “graduates” through livelihood assistance, community-based employment, and financial literacy training. Graduation from 4Ps should not be the end of the journey but the beginning of sustainable empowerment.
Until then, we must ask: Are we genuinely lifting people out of poverty, or merely moving them off the list?
