Duterte signs 4Ps law

Updated (9:00 p.m.)

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has institutionalized the government’s cash transfer program that aims to reduce poverty and beef up investments in social services.

Duterte signed the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) or Republic Act (RA) 11310 on April 17 but was only released to the media on Wednesday.

The 4Ps is a national poverty reduction strategy of the government.

Under the new law, the government will provide conditional cash transfers to qualified poor households for a maximum period of seven years.

Qualified under the program are farmers, fishermen, homeless families, indigenous peoples, those from the informal sector, and those living in isolated and disadvantaged areas, including places without electricity.

The law stated that the beneficiaries would be given a monthly grant of not lower than P300 per child enrolled in daycare and elementary programs for a maximum of 10 months a year, P500 per child enrolled in junior high school, and P700 per child enrolled in senior high school.

A health and nutrition grant of not lower than P750 per month for a maximum of 12 months a year will also be given to 4Ps beneficiaries.

“The health/nutrition grant component aims to promote health practices and family development, improve the health nutritional status of pregnant and postpartum mothers, infants and young children, and increase the use of health services by the household-beneficiary,” the law stated.

According to the law, families qualified to receive cash grants must be classified as “poor and near poor,” have members aged zero to 18 years old or pregnant at the time of registration, and willing to comply with the 4Ps conditions.

It added that persons who would be found of falsifying their information in the registry for conditional cash transfer may be imprisoned for a month or up to a year, and may be fined with not less than P10,000 but not more than P100,000. (Editor: Eden Estopace)