FAQs about the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps)

• The conditional cash transfer (CCT) program locally known as Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program, or 4Ps, is a government program that provides conditional cash grants to the poorest of the poor in the Philippines. The program aims to break the cycle of poverty by keeping children aged 0-18 healthy and in school, so they can have a better future.
• The program is implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, with the Department of Health, the Department of Education and the National Economic and Development Authority as partners.
• Households receive cash grants if children stay in school and get regular health check-ups, have their growth monitored, and receive vaccines. Pregnant women must get pre-natal care, with their births attended to by professional health workers. Parents or guardians are required to participate in monthly community-based Family Development Sessions to learn about positive child discipline, disaster preparedness, and women’s rights.
• Beneficiaries are objectively selected through the National Household Targeting System, also known as Listahanan, which is based from a survey of the physical structure of their houses, the number of rooms and occupants, their access to running water, and other factors affecting their living conditions.
• The program has one of the most comprehensive poverty targeting databases in the world today, covering 75% of the country’s population. It has been used extensively to identify poor and near-poor beneficiaries for national and local government programs.
• Started in 2007, the government expanded the program in December 2016 to reach a total of 20 million Filipinos belonging to 4.4 million households. The program benefits about 20% of the population, the majority of the nation’s poor.
• 9 million children are currently benefiting from the program, 1.9 million of which are in high school. The program has also achieved almost universal enrollment for elementary age children of 4Ps households.
• Social protection programs, Pantawid included, have cushioned the poor from the adverse impacts of various shocks the country experienced over the past six years. A study estimates that the program has led to a poverty reduction of 1.4 percentage points per year or 1.5 million less poor Filipinos.
• The 4Ps is currently the world’s fourth-largest CCT program based on population coverage. It complements the government’s other development priorities such as generating jobs and creating livelihood opportunities for the poor.

General Impact 1.5 million less poor Filipinos or an estimated poverty reduction impact of 1.4 percentage points per year Household heads, spouses, and other adults are more encouraged to work and set up their own businesses  87% of 4Ps parents are now more optimistic about their situation and their children’s futures

Health Reduction in severe stunting among beneficiary children Lower maternal mortality in the past five years because more mothers deliver babies in health facilities (7/10 live births) Drastic decrease in alcoholism in 4Ps households (spending on vices was lower by 39%) 4Ps beneficiaries consume more rice and cereals than non-beneficiaries

Education 10.18 million children currently benefit from CCT, 1.9 million of which are in high school Near universal school enrolment of elementary age children for 4Ps households (98%) 6% higher gross enrollment rate for beneficiary high school students Higher spending on education among 4Ps households (206 Pesos more per school-aged child per month vs non-4Ps) Decrease in child labor days (7 days less a month for 4Ps households) 333,673 graduated from high-school in 2015, 13,400 of which received honors

Local Economies P households invest more in working assets (livestock, machineries) than non-beneficiaries 4Ps households spend more on basic needs such as food, education and medicine that stimulate the growth of the local economy                         SOURCE: WORLD BANK RELATED LITERATURE: UPDATE OF PHILIPPINE 4Ps

DAR to provide low-cost housing for farmer-beneficiaries

QUEZON CITY—As the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) celebrated the 30^th anniversary of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), it also disclosed its latest package of assistance for agrarian reform beneficiaries, that is, the provision of affordable housing for agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) as part of its support services under CARP.

ARB housing program for the CARP farmer-beneficiaries.

Model unit located at the Nueva Vizcaya State University. 

According to DAR Secretary  John Castriciones, the farmers’ and farmworkers’ housing program shall be part of President Rodrigo Duterte’s order for a “rebirth” of land reform in the country, as he directed the DAR to launch what he described as a second phase of the program. Under the second phase of agrarian reform, the ARBs housing program shall be one of the major programs that would greatly improve the living condition of agrarian reform beneficiaries citing that most of the farmers and farmworkers do not own houses of their own. He further said that the ARB housing program is one of the means to achieve inclusive growth and improve the lives of ARBs and their families.

A model design located at the DAR Central Office in Quezon City. 

The ARB housing program shall be implemented through the convergence program of several government agencies and the private sector such as the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council’s (HUDCC) Balay Filipino Program, National Housing Authority (NHA), Pag-IBIG Fund, Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB), Social Housing Finance Corp. (SHFC), Home Guarantee Corp. (HGC) and the National Home Mortgage Finance Corp. (NHMFC).  These agencies will extend their respective programs, activities, and expertise in assisting and tapping subdivision developers in the housing industry to join the DAR’s ARB housing program.

The ARBs may use their emancipation patent, certificate of land ownership award (CLOA) and other titles issued to them as security. Housing loans for house construction or improvement in lands covered by CLOA will be treated as additional loans by Land Bank and other lending institutions.  The maximum term of housing loan will be at 30 years.

At present there are two model houses with different designs. One is located at DAR Central Office in Diliman, Quezon City and the other is located at the Nueva Vizcaya State University. The housing units are the duplex type with two bedrooms each, covering 37 square meters. Other model houses will also be put up in the Visayas and Mindanao where interested ARBs can view these units.

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