DSWD, senators: 4Ps cash aid insufficient to prevent school dropout

INQUIRER file

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Wednesday said that the current cash aid under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is insufficient given the high number of Senior High School dropouts among beneficiaries.

During the briefing, Senator Risa Hontiveros noted that the maximum annual cash grant for 4Ps beneficiaries has fallen sharply, from P31,000 in 2019 to just P14,000 in 2023.

READ: Lawmakers, DSWD push reforms to 4Ps law

She said this has led high school students from 4Ps beneficiary households to choose working over relying on the meager grants provided by the program.

Gatchalian agreed.

“I will do a disservice to the people of the beneficiaries if I say it’s sufficient. The department is already saying it’s not sufficient,” Gatchalian said.

“In fact, as early as late last year, we had a sit-down with the president, showed him our indexing study, the one we will submit to the committee, and he agreed. He said na kulang talaga (it’s really not enough). That’s why I’m not here and not going to say na sufficient siya (that it is sufficient),” he added.

According to Gatchalian, data show that only 52 percent of 4Ps beneficiaries remain in senior high school, down from 84 percent in junior high.

He reiterated calls to revisit the 4Ps law to address the reduced grants.

“The dream of many of them is for at least one of them to graduate… and that is the vision of 4Ps to break intergenerational poverty,” Gatchalian said in Filipino.

“But they also admit that when it comes to senior high school, if the child works, he will earn more compared to the grant they are getting. So it’s something we should revisit,” he added.

When asked for the DSWD’s recommendations, Gatchalian suggested examining other factors affecting students’ completion of their studies, such as placing greater emphasis on completion bonuses rather than one-time grants.

“The numerous modalities, and the fact that the countries with conditional cash transfer programs around the world have also varied in how they view their programs,” Gatchalian said.

“Also, if you look at the data, we do quite well in primary education. But toward the end, that’s where we start to weaken a bit. We could consider giving more weight or placing more premium on senior high school, or when they reach the later stages of the education cycle,” he added. /mcm