Rice instead of cash? DSWD says it’s not feasible

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MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare Development (DSWD) said on Friday, Feb. 16, that the proposal to distribute rice instead of cash for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) was not feasible because of two things — logistics and lack of a “legal cover.”

Last Feb. 13, agriculture officials said that the proposal to distribute rice instead of cash came from them and that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was receptive to the idea.

“After discussion with the Department of Agriculture (DA), we made it clear to them that it is not feasible because of the logistical requirements which may not be convenient with the beneficiaries,” DSWD Spokesperson Romel Lopez said in the DSWD Weekend Report posted on Facebook.

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Lopez said the proposal was not in the 2024 national budget and, as such, doesn’t have “legal cover.”

“There is also no provision in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for the purchase of rice, thus, there is no legal cover to begin with,” he said.

Currently, 4Ps beneficiaries receive P600 monthly in rice subsidy.

The DSWD also said on Wednesday that it welcomed improvements to the 4PS program, which targets the poorest of the poor.

There are around 4.4 million 4Ps beneficiaries nationwide currently, the DSWD said.