FEB.

20, 2015

NR # 3748

Institutionalize a national conditional fund transfer program - solon

A lawmaker is seeking the creation of a national conditional fund transfer program
in order to reduce poverty and promote human capital development.
Rep. Marcelino Marcy R. Teodoro (1st District, Marikina City) filed House Bill
5390 creating the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program to achieve universal primary
education, promote gender equality and empowerment of women, reduce child mortality
and improve maternal health.
Teodoro said the 4Ps aims to provide a just and dynamic social order that will
ensure the prosperity and independence of the nation and free the people from poverty
through polices that provide adequate social services and improve quality of life.
Institutionalizing the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program will greatly help in
the redistribution of the wealth, and in minimizing the prevailing income inequality in our
society, Teodoro said.
In filing the measure, Teodoro cited the declared policy of the State which provides
that it shall promote a just and dynamic social order that will ensure the prosperity and
independence of the nation and free the people from poverty through policies that provide
adequate social services, promote full employment, a rising standard of living, and an
improved quality of life for all.
Citing the data gathered by the National Statistical Coordination Board in mid2000, Teodoro said roughly 27.9 million Filipinos or one-third of the entire population are
poor.
He added that in 2008, the Department of Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD) was tasked to implement the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program known
as Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) inspired by the successes of similar
programs in Latin American countries. CCT or 4Ps provides cash grants to extremely
poor Filipino households to allow their families to achieve certain human development
goals.
Since its inception, the program has already shown positive impacts on the lives of
its beneficiaries. The cash grants increased the household incomes of the poor, which in
turn increase local consumption for the good of micro enterprises. The program, likewise
helped improve the health and education of the children covered by 4Ps, Teodoro said.
Under the measure to be known as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program Act
of 2015, priority shall be given to the poorest municipalities as determined by Small Area

Poverty Estimates generated by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) in the
selection of target areas.
Also, the bill gives priority to cities with large pockets of poverty as reported by the
National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) and the Presidential Commission on Urban
Poor (PCUP) and or National Census and Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB).
The bill provides that for a household to qualify as beneficiary for this program, the
household is within the municipality or city identified as area of implementation. It shall
have at least one (0-14) year old child and/or pregnant woman at the time of registration.
Further, if the household suffers from chronic poverty and falls within the priority
ranking as determined by the National Household Targeting System (NHTS) of the
DSWD which involves rigorous household assessment and application of a Proxy Means
Test, a tool used to estimate the income of households on the basis of proxy variables
including household composition, education, socio-economic characteristic and regional
variables.
Qualified beneficiaries shall receive P500 per month per household or a total of P6,
000 per year as health grant. For education grant beneficiaries, the 3-14 year old children
enrolled at the day care program, pre-school, elementary school or high school shall
receive P300 per month for the ten-month school year or a total of P3, 000 in a year with a
maximum of three children per household.
The grant rates may be adjusted by the DSWD if warranted by the changes in the
socio-economic conditions. The DSWD shall ensure that the grant rates are sufficient to
make a positive impact on the health, nutrition and education conditions as well as
improve their economic state.
The measure imposes program conditions to ensure compliance of all beneficiaries.
These conditions consist of regular preventive health check-ups and vaccine for children
0-5 years old and enrollment of children 3-5 years of age in day care program or preschool and attend at least 85% of the required school days.
Further, children 6-14 years old must be enrolled in school and attend at least 85%
of the required school days and must also undergo deworming at least twice a year.
Pregnant women must get at least three pre-natal check-ups starting from the first
trimester, get post natal care and childbirth must be attended by a skilled health personnel.
Lastly, parents/guardians must attend and complete responsible parenthood seminars and
parenting educational sessions.
The bill warrants the suspension and /or removal of the beneficiary from the
program for failure to comply with its conditions. (30) lvc