The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Wednesday urged the household-beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to use the grants for intended purpose of supporting children’s education and health.

“I hope sa ating 4Ps beneficiaries, take care of the grants. ‘Yan ang lagi kong sinasabi, na gamitin sa tama dahil ito ay makatutulong para mas mapaganda pa ang buhay ninyo eventually kapag nakapag-aral na ang mga anak ninyo at kung sila ay malusog (I hope for our 4Ps beneficiaries, to take care of the grants. That’s what I keep on saying, to use it [benefit] properly because eventually, it could help improve more your lives once your children are educated and healthy),” 4Ps National Program Manager Director Gemma Gabuya said on Wednesday during the second episode of 4Ps Fastbreak livestreamed over the DSWD’s Facebook page.

The 4Ps Fastbreak, the latest addition to the live-streamed programs of the DSWD’s Strategic Communications (StratComm) Group, aims to beef up public knowledge and awareness about the agency’s national poverty alleviation programs. It is hosted by Venus Balito of StratComm’s Digital Media Service (DMS).

Gabuya said the 4Ps is providing conditional cash transfer to poor households to improve their health, nutrition, and education.

“Para sa education—sa elementary students ay PHP300 per bata monthly for ten months; pag high school naman ay PHP500; at senior high school ay PHP700 (In terms of education—in elementary students, PHP300 monthly per child; in high school, PHP 500; and for senior high school is PHP700),” she said.

The 4Ps program also provides a monthly PHP600 rice subsidy and PHP750 health grants to each household beneficiary.

However, she emphasized that there is a maximum of three monitored children per household that will be covered by the 4Ps program.

Each 4Ps household, Gabuya added, is also entitled to automatic coverage under the National Health Insurance Program or PhilHealth.

“They may also avail of the DSWD’s Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) or other similar programs offered by other government agencies or accredited private institutions,” she added.

The 4Ps is a national poverty reduction strategy institutionalized under Republic Act No. 11310 or “An Act Institutionalizing Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps),” signed on April 17, 2019.

To date, the program has close to 4.4 million household-beneficiaries nationwide. (PNA)