The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reiterated its commitment to support the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries who are exiting from the program after they were assessed as non-poor in the recent revalidation conducted by the agency.

In the November 11 interview with Senator Francis Tolentino and Undersecretary Cesar Chavez in DZRH’s Special on Saturday (S.O.S) program, DSWD Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications Romel Lopez said the Department will provide other programs and services to the exiting 4Ps members to help them sustain their self-sufficiency and to further improve their well-being.

“Ang kagandahan naman po, kagaya nga po ng Food Stamp Program (FSP) natin, although hindi lahat ay maipapasok natin ang mga nasa 4Ps program, maaari nating ilaan sa programa ng DSWD to augment din o tulungan doon sa poverty alleviation side ng ating mga kababayan na poorest of the poor,” Asst. Sec. Romel Lopez, who is also DSWD spokesperson, explained.

(The good thing is, just like our Food Stamp Program (FSP), although we cannot include everyone from 4Ps, we can implement other DSWD programs to augment or help in the poverty alleviation side of our fellow Filipinos who are the poorest of the poor.)

Some of the DSWD programs that 4Ps graduates can avail of are the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) and the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS).

The DSWD will also endorse the exiting 4Ps beneficiaries to their respective local government units (LGUs), along with their case folders, that will guide the Local Social Welfare and Development Office (LSWDO) in identifying the programs and services that the families may need.

In the recent revalidation conducted by the DSWD in line with the directive of Secretary Rex Gatchalian, some 339,660 households were assessed as Level 3 or self-sufficient, which are automatically recommended for graduation or exit from the program.

Meanwhile, over 760,000 households will be retained by DSWD in the list of 4Ps beneficiaries.

More than 1.1 million beneficiaries were earlier assessed as non-poor under the Listahanan 3 of the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR).

The 4Ps is the national poverty reduction strategy and a human capital investment program of the government that provides conditional cash transfer to qualified households.

It is a human development program which provides social protection, social assistance, social development, and other complementary support services in partnership with concerned agencies, LGUs and other stakeholders toward improving the health and nutrition, education, and socio-economic aspects of the beneficiaries. #