The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) announced that its Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) already commenced its release of cash grants to household beneficiaries.

The crediting of the cash grants started in the first week of July. Beneficiaries who do not yet have Land Bank cash cards or those receiving their grants under off-site or over-the counter payment will have to wait for the next schedule of pay-out.

4Ps is an investment in human capital which seeks to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty by focusing on education and health of the beneficiaries. It uses the conditional cash transfer scheme to provide cash grants to the beneficiaries who comply with the program conditionalities such as children 0-5 years old must receive regular preventive health check-ups, growth monitoring, and vaccines; pregnant women get pre and post-natal care (must be attended by skilled/professional health workers); children in elementary must receive de-worming pills twice a year; and attendance of the grantee/parent/guardian to the monthly Family Development Sessions (FDS).

Active household beneficiaries will receive monthly health grant of P500 and educational grant of P300 and P500 for elementary and senior high school students, respectively. A maximum of three children per household is qualified to receive the grant.

Meanwhile, a total of 26 billion pesos has been released to cover two months of cash grants plus the rice subsidy and Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT) subsidy of the more than 3 million beneficiaries of 4Ps.

The UCT is a one-time cash subsidy given to 10 million poor households including the 4Ps beneficiaries to help them cope with the effects of the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law. -30-