Former Secretary Mar Roxas. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / LYN RILLON
MANILA, Philippines — The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), a government initiative that offers conditional cash grants to the poorest of the poor families, should be a law in the Philippines, former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said.
“Matibay ang paniniwala ko na dapat maisabatas ‘yan. Para kahit sinumang uupo sa administrasyon, hindi ‘yan mawawala,” Roxas told the Samahan ng Nagkakaisang Pamilyang Pantawid in an interview on Friday.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is the main agency that supervises these conditional cash grants to its beneficiaries in order to “improve health, nutrition and the education of children aged 0-18.”
Roxas also said the 4Ps must be an investment by the government to improve the children’s health and education, saying it would be more expensive to use money for medical treatment of sick children.
“Ang 4Ps hindi gastos yan. Investment ‘yan ng gobyerno sa pagpapalusog sa mga anak. Importante ang kalusugan ng mga bata para nakakapasok sila sa eskwela. Mas magastos kung mapupunta ang pera ng gobyerno sa pagpapagamot ng sakit ng mga bata,” Roxas said.
He added that more beneficiaries of 4Ps must be added to help more poor communities.
“Layunin ko na unti-unting dagdagan pa ang bilang ng beneficiaries ng 4Ps para mas dumami ang matulungang mga mahihirap,” he said. /jpv