Hontiveros seeks to evaluate need for continuous implementation of 4Ps Law

Senator Risa Hontiveros is seeking a joint congressional oversight committee to evaluate the need for the continuous implementation of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or the 4Ps Law.

The opposition lawmaker filed proposed Senate Resolution 218, saying there is a "need to review and assess the program's implementation and develop strategies to make it more responsive and effective in achieving its set goal of breaking intergenerational poverty."

In the resolution, Hontiveros cited Social Welfare and Development Secretary Erwin Tulfo stating that around 850,000 households would be removed from the 4Ps program and Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez's report on 187,000 beneficiaries who were delisted for various reasons such as households who no longer have children, improved living condition, who are non-compliant, who opted out of the program, and graduated from the program.

The senator explained that even if the household already graduated from the 4Ps program, the household beneficiaries considered non-poor are susceptible and vulnerable to being poor again, given the current conditions and circumstances like the COVID-19 pandemic, other diseases and natural disasters, increase in poverty incidence, record-high inflation rate, rising cost of living, high unemployment and underemployment, among others.

She mentioned the calls to expand and increase the coverage of 4Ps households, eligible beneficiaries, conditions for entitlement, and the amount of cash transfers.

Further, the senator said there are several laws enacted like the Philippine Identification System Act and Community-Based Monitoring System Act which have direct implications concerning the identification of 4Ps household beneficiaries and delivery of benefits.

She then pointed out that the 4Ps Law mandated the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) to conduct an impact assessment to evaluate the effectiveness of the program, the veracity of the list of household beneficiaries, and the program implementation.

Apart from this, the joint congressional oversight committee provided by the law duly mandates the body to conduct a sunset review to "systematically evaluate" the impact of Republic Act 11310, the accomplishment of the program, and the performance of its implementing agencies in aid of legislation.

This sunset review is expected to be conducted within three years after the effectivity of the law.

"Now, therefore, be it resolved as it is hereby resolved, to urge the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps Oversight Committee, to convene, with an end view of conducting a sunset review of Republic Act 11310," Hontiveros said.

The 4Ps program is a national poverty reduction strategy and a human capital investment program that provides conditional cash transfer to poor households for a maximum of seven years to improve the health, nutrition and education of their lives.—AOL, GMA News