The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has approved the release of PHP5 billion for the additional funding of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), the government’s flagship anti-poverty program under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

In a statement Tuesday, the DBM said the additional funds will be sourced from the 2023 Continuing Appropriations and used to cover the 2023 4Ps grants in arrears resulting in the deactivation/suspension of 4Ps beneficiaries to around 703,888 households.

“Makakatulong po ito para maibsan ang epekto ng inflation sa ating mga kababayan (This will help our countrymen cushion the impact of inflation). The DBM will do its part to streamline budget processes so that our citizens benefit from faster and more efficient delivery of essential services such as our 4Ps,” Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said.

The allocation, according to Pangadaman, will allow the DSWD to continue its “critical work without interruption, providing much-needed assistance to our most vulnerable citizens.”

In his third State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. reported that over 420,000 households have graduated from the program or have been assessed as “self-sufficient” in just a year.

The 4Ps offers conditional cash transfers to indigent households to improve health, nutrition, and education outcomes. (PNA)