DSWD keen on increasing cash grant for 4Ps beneficiaries, says budget sponsor

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Friday asked Congress to fund its planned increase of cash grant for the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) program.

During the budget deliberations on the proposed P5.768 trillion national budget for 2024, House Committee on Appropriations vice chairperson Jocy Limkaichong of Dumaguete made the response after Agri party-list Representative Wilbert Lee asked if the DSWD plans to increase the cash grant to 4Ps beneficiaries as recommended by the state-run Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).

Lee cited that based on PIDS studies, the maximum amount of P31,200 that a 4Ps household can receive in a year in 2019 has already been reduced to P14,524 due to lockdowns brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and the rising prices of basic commodities.

“The value of P300 in 2019 is already at P366 now. The PIDS’ recommendation is to increase it (4Ps cash grant) by 20%. Is the DSWD going to do this?,” Lee said.

Limkaichong responded by saying that “The National Advisory Council (NAC) [where the DSWD is a part of] unanimously approved that [PIDS recommendation and they agree with the proposal [of increasing the cash grant] considering the inflation, effects of COVID-19, resulting in the higher cost of living [now] .”

“They (DSWD) made representation with the DBM (Department of Budget and Management), and they are hoping that Congress will put as special provision in the 2024 proposed budget so we can fund this increase under the unprogrammed fund since this PIDS finding came out after the National Expenditure Program [budget call] was done,” Limkaichong pointed out.

“Gustong gustong gawin ito ng DSWD, and they can do the increase by us [in Congress] putting a special provision to allow additional augmentation for that to be taken from an unprogrammed fund,” Limkaichong added.

The unprogrammed fund refers to budget items which will only be funded if there is an excess of target government revenues for the year, subject to the approval of the DBM.

Lee welcomed Limkaichong’s comments and asked DSWD to submit a fine print of its proposed increase for 4Ps cash grant so he can make the motion to accommodate DSWD’s request at a proper time.

Lee then cited that such increase in cash grants is in accordance with the Section 10 of the Republic Act 11310 or the 4Ps Act which tasks the PIDS “to recommend to the NAC whether the cash grants should be adjusted to its present value using the consumer price index, as published by the Philippine Statistics Authority, provided that the NAC should ensure that the grant amounts are sufficient to make a positive impact on the health, nutrition, and education of the beneficiaries and are timely received and spent by the beneficiaries.”

“The 4Ps food pie is changing and resulting in them eating noodles everyday. We have to help them,” Lee said.

The 4Ps, which grants cash assistance to poorest of the poor households provided they comply with conditions promoting human development goals such as health and education, is eyeing to cover 4.4 million households this year.

The 4Ps allocation under the proposed 2024 budget is P112 billion. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News