Rice instead of cash for 4Ps recipients? Marcos contemplates – DA exec

FILE PHOTO: A worker carries on his head a sack of rice inside a government rice warehouse National Food Authority in Quezon city, Metro Manila in Philippines, August 9, 2018. Department of Agriculture (DA) Usec. Roger Navarro said that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will seriously think about a proposal that would give rice – instead of cash – to beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). REUTERS/Erik De Castro/Files

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will seriously think about a proposal that would give rice – instead of cash – to beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

Department of Agriculture (DA) Usec. Roger Navarro revealed this in a press conference that followed a meeting between agriculture officials and the President in Malacañang on Tuesday.

“It was suggested in the meeting that we have the 4Ps. For example, for DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development), we told the President if we can convert the 4Ps in terms of money, it should be in rice form, supplied by NFA (National Food Authority),” he said.

READ: 1.24M families may be removed as 4Ps beneficiaries this year

4Ps is the government’s conditional cash transfer program where qualified families receives a cash grant following compliance with a set of requirements that include a child’s school attendance, among others.

“The President is saying that we will consider the proposal, and we will take a look at how to implement this program,” added Navarro, sharing the President’s response to the suggestion of giving rice in place of cash to 4Ps beneficiaries.

READ: House rep urges DSWD to increase 4Ps cash aid for poor

Navarro explained that the proposal will take out the 4Ps bracket and may spare recipients from the effects of volatile rice market prices since they also buy the food staple using their cash grant.

“We’re giving them money, and unfortunately, because that is not rice, they’re going to buy rice at the market price, and that put pressure and inflationary in the market because they’re going to compete with the people who have money,” he pointed out.

INQUIRER.net has reached out to the DSWD for a reaction but it has yet to respond as of writing.