DSWD introduces e-wallets for 4Ps cash aid

Beneficiaries of the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in Lucena City, in this photo taken in 2011, wait for their turn outside a bank to get their monthly cash grants.  (Delfin T. Mallari Jr./Inquirer) 

MANILA, Philippines — Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries will receive monetary grants through e-wallets, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said Friday.

Lopez said this would help 4Ps beneficiaries in isolated and disadvantaged areas.

“The wave of the future is cashless transactions. This is an upgrade from the 4Ps beneficiaries’ basic deposit accounts from the current automated teller machine (ATM) cards to electronic or digital wallets such as G-Cash and Pay Maya,” Lopez said in a statement.

READ: DBM: 4Ps cash aid budget for 2024 is P106.3 billion

The 4Ps cash aid budget for 2024 is P106.3 billion.

“For GIDA (geographically isolated and disadvantaged area) beneficiaries, going to the nearest ATM is costly and hard. E-wallets like Gcash that have thousands of merchant partners serve as an easier way to get their regular cash grants,” Lopez added.

The 4Ps program is the government’s conditional cash grant program for the country’s poorest. Different amounts of cash aid are distributed if beneficiaries fulfill certain obligations, such as keeping their child in school.

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

The DSWD conducted a Digital Financial Literacy Program in several regions, namely Northern Mindanao, Eastern Visayas, Bicol, Western Visayas, and Caraga Region.

The Landbank of the Philippines, Bank of the Philippine Islands Foundation, Ayala Foundation, GCash, and Maya provided resource speakers for the programs.