DSWD: Over 300K poor families ‘graduating’ from 4Ps by year-end

THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) yesterday said more than 300,000 poor families will graduate from the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) program by the end of the year while over 700,000 households who were earlier delisted pending reassessment will be retained.

DSWD assistant secretary and spokesman Romel Lopez said there is no date yet as to when the 4Ps graduation would be, but it is expected before the year ends.

Lopez assured the graduating families that the government would continue to assist them in other ways.

“Graduating from 4Ps does not mean that the government will stop helping them. Yes, they are exiting the program, but there are still programs that would help reintegrate to society,” he said in mixed English and Filipino.

Lopez said those who would graduate would be endorsed to local government units (LGUs) for possible assistance, endorsed to the DSWD’s Sustainable Livelihood Program to help them start up a small business or ensure them of steady employment and source of income, and will continue to be monitored by the DSWD to ensure they do not return to poverty.

He added children who are now in college would be endorsed to the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) for possible scholarship grants.

The DSWD’s 4Ps list is based, among others, on its “Listahan 3,” which was compiled before and during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country. It was completed after the pandemic.

Listahanan 3 is the DSWD’s registry of poor households in the country.

Former DSWD secretary Erwin Tulfo had previously ordered a review and cleanup of the 4Ps list of beneficiaries who are no longer eligible for the program, resulting in the initial list of 1.1 million potential graduating families.

Lopez said a second assessment was conducted, where the DSWD included the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the poor households as among the factors for consideration.

4Ps National Program Management Office (NPMO) Director Gemma Gabuya said the program utilizes the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) or “Listahanan” to identify the profile of poor beneficiaries.

Inclusion in the