MANILA, Philippines — The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is effective but it needs to be fine-tuned, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Erwin Tulfo said on Tuesday.
The 4Ps is an anti-poverty program that provides cash assistance to poor Filipino families.
During the hearing of the Commission on Appointments’ labor, employment, social welfare, and migrant workers panel, Senator Risa Hontiveros asked Tulfo for his assessment of the 4Ps program.
“Kung ako ho ang tatanungin niyo personally as secretary of DSWD, kailangan po talaga review-in po ang 4Ps natin kung talagang ito ay effective,” he answered.
(If you will ask me personally as secretary of DSWD, there is a need to review our 4Ps if it is really effective.)
“Effective ho siya. Unfortunately, ’yun nga hong sinasabi kailangan lang hong mayroong i-fine-tune po diyan po sa 4Ps na ‘yan,” he added.
(It is effective. Unfortunately, there are aspects of the 4Ps that need to be fine-tuned.)
Tulfo lamented that there are beneficiaries who abuse the cash grant by using it in gambling.
Hontiveros, however, said that the people who abuse the assistance are just a minority.
According to the Commission on Audit’s report, 90 percent of 4Ps households remain poor.
READ: 90% of 4Ps families still poor, says COA report