• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) can have a sigh of relief as the raising of the amount for their conditional cash grants is now being pushed in Congress.
4Ps party list Rep. JC Abalos yesterday said that he co-authored a bill pushing for an increase in the amount of conditional cash grants given to 4Ps beneficiaries, due to inflation.
The 4Ps, a political organization represented by Abalos in the House of Representatives, stands for Pagtibayin at Palaguin and Pangkabuhayang Pilipino, which is not related to the government 4Ps program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
In a press briefing, Abalos said they are pushing for the increase of educational grants for elementary from P300 to P500, junior high school from P500 to P700, and senior high school to P900, from P700 at present.
The 4Ps program of the DSWD is a major poverty alleviation program of the government that invests in the health, nutrition, and education of poor eligible households. These, with the psychosocial and educational component provided through the Family Development Session (FDS), lead the beneficiaries to have improved and sustained well-being
Based on the law, households may receive P750 for compliance with health and FDS.
Abalos said officials of the DSWD, Philippine Statistics Authority, and National Economic Development Authority recently met with Malacañang representatives, where PSA and NEDA were ordered to devise a formula on the actual value needed by 4Ps beneficiaries on educational, health and other grants, among others.*
