DBM says 3.9 million Filipinos to benefit from social protection programs

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Around 3.9 Filipinos are targeted to benefit from the government’s social protection program in 2024, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said on Wednesday.

According to the DBM, this year’s General Appropriations Act has allocated P34.27 billion for its Protective Services of Individuals and Families in Difficult Circumstances (PSIFDC) program.

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It is set to assist 3,876,673 beneficiaries nationwide, it noted.

“As mandated by our President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., we will remain committed to uplifting the lives of our kababayans, especially the most vulnerable, through supporting targeted social assistance programs,” said DBM Secretary Mina Pangandaman in a press release.

“Sa Bagong Pilipinas, sama-sama po tayo, walang maiiwan. (In Bagong Pilipinas, we are together, and no one will be left behind.) As public servants, we need to be there for the Filipino people, especially at times when they need us the most,” she added.

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Meanwhile, the DBM also reported releasing P47.54 billion to implement the PSIFDC program in 2023.

One of the social assistance initiatives under the PSIFDC is the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program.

The program provides indigents cash, medical, funeral, and other types of assistance.