The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is supporting the bill filed by Palaguin ang Pangkabuhayang Pilipino Party-list Rep. JC Abalos that will prioritize the tertiary education and employment of the program’s beneficiaries.
“Yung kay Cong. JC, maganda po yung kanyang bill dahil pagpo-provide ng slots for tertiary education. Maganda po iyon kasi ang 4Ps kaya lang natin i-support hanggang senior high school. Pero paano yung college (The bill of Congressman Abalos is good because it provides slots for tertiary education. In 4Ps, we can only support up to secondary education, but how about college)?” 4Ps National Program Manager (NPM) Director Gemma Gabuya told reporters during the media forum at the DSWD Central Office in Quezon City on Thursday.
According to Gabuya, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian met with Abalos on Wednesday to discuss legislation supportive of the conditional cash transfer program.
Among the bills discussed in the meeting was House of Representatives Bill 01040, otherwise known as the “4Ps Support to Tertiary Education and Employment Program (4Ps STEEP).”
“So itong bill ni Cong. JC, hina-highlight nya na dapat automatic kumbaga, 10 percent halos in every state college ay mayroon talagang slots para sa 4Ps. Kasi ito yung gusto natin, na yung investment natin from elementary to high school ma-sustain hanggang college kasi iyon lang ang paraan na masasabi natin na makakaahon o makakatawid ang isang household sa kahirapan (The highlight of this bill is it automatically allots 10 percent of the available slots in every state college for 4Ps members. This is what we want: that our investment from elementary to high school is sustained through college. This is the only way that we can ensure that a household is uplifted from poverty),” Gabuya said.
She added that they welcome the bill because it will help complement the conditional cash transfer grants provided to household beneficiaries by prioritizing the continuity of education of 4Ps monitored children.
Meanwhile, Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said the department would undertake discussions with legislators on how to best make 4Ps more responsive and effective in ensuring that poor families are helped toward self-sufficiency.
She said the 4Ps enhancement was among the topics discussed by Gatchalian and Senator Erwin Tulfo in a meeting on July 31.
“Seventeen years na itong tumatakbo and we truly recognize na rin na kinakailangan na ng pagbabago sa program. We are very much open to any enhancement and tayo ay patuloy na magkakaroon ng dayalogo with the House of Representatives and with the Senate, sa lahat po ng kinatawan nila para magkaroon tayo ng mga amendments doon po sa programa (It has been 17 years since the 4Ps started, and we truly recognize that the program needs changes. We are very much open to any enhancement, and we continue to have dialogues with the House and with the Senate to have amendments in the program),” Dumlao said in the same forum.
She said the 4Ps is the national flagship poverty alleviation program, and the department is committed to ensuring that the program remains responsive to the needs of the beneficiaries.
“Pareho naman ang ating hangarin dito sa DSWD, and with all our legislators natin. Ang hangarin at layunin natin ay matulungan ang mahihirap na Pilipino na makaahon sa kahirapan kaya tayo ay talagang makikipagtulungan sa kanila para maisaayos ang pagpapatupad ng programa at para matiyak na yung layunin nito ay ma-achieve natin (The DSWD and our legislators have the same objective. We seek to help poor Filipinos rise from poverty, that’s why we will really cooperate with them to attain our objectives),” she said.
The 4Ps is the national poverty reduction strategy and human capital investment program that provides conditional cash transfer to improve the health, nutrition, and education of children aged 0-18.
More than 4 million households continue to benefit from the program. (PNA)