By Genalyn Kabiling In a bid to improve the health, nutrition and education of poor families, President Duterte has signed a law institutionalizing the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) or the government's cash subsidy program in the country. President Rodrigo Roa (ROBINSON NIÑAL JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) Under Republic Act No. 11310, the Department of Social Welfare and Development will implement the 4Ps, a national poverty reduction strategy that provides conditional cash transfer to poor households for a maximum of seven years. "The State shall promote a just and dynamic social order thereby uplifting its citizens and marginalized sectors from poverty through policies that provide adequate social services, promote full employment, a rising standard of living, and an improved quality of life for all," the law read. The law mandates the DSWD to use a standardized targeting system to identify, select and revalidate qualified 4Ps beneficiaries every three years. Eligible for the program are farmers, fisherfolk, homeless families, indigenous peoples, and those in the informal settler sector and those in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas including those in areas without electricity. Under the law, the government will give a monthly cash grant of not lower than P300 per child enrolled in daycare and elementary programs for 10 months of the year; P500 per child enrolled in junior high school, and P700 per child enrolled in senior high school. A health and nutrition grant not lower than P750 per month for a maximum of 12 months per year shall also be extended by the government to the 4Ps beneficiaries. It will be a fixed amount and does not depend on the number of family members. "The health/nutrition grant component aims to promote health practices and family development, improve the health nutritional status of pregnant and postpartum mothers, infants and young children, and increase the use of health services by the household-beneficiary," the law read. The families eligible for cash grants must be classified as "poor and near poor," have members aged zero to 18 years old or members pregnant at time of registration, and willing to comply with the 4Ps conditions. To keep the cash grant entitlement, the beneficiaries must comply with these conditions:

1. Pregnant women must avail of pre-natal services, give birth in a health facility attended by a skilled health profes­sional, and receive after-care for her and her newborn;
2. Children from zero to five years old must receive regular health and nutri­tion services including check-ups and vaccinations;
3. Children one to 14 years old must avail of deworming pills at least twice a year;
4. Children three to 4 years old must attend day care or pre-school classes at least 85 percent of the time
5. Children 5 to 18 years old must attend elementary or secondary classes at least 85 percent of the time; and
6. At least one person from the fam­ily must attend development sessions conducted by the DSWD at least once a month.

The payment of cash grant will be immediately terminated if the beneficiary fails to comply with the conditions. After four months of noncompliance, the beneficiary will be subject to case management process of DSWD. If noncompliance persists in a year, the beneficiary will be removed from the program. Apart from cash grants, all 4Ps beneficiaries will be automatically covered in the National Health Insurance Program.   They will also be given priority in the DSWD's Sustainable Livelihood program and other employment programs of government agencies. The law also stated that the DSWD will serve as the central planning, coordinating, implanting and monitoring body of the 4Ps. The department must use a cost-efficient and transparent method to identify and select beneficiaries, coordinate with various government agencies, establish monitoring and evaluation system on compliance of conditions, among others. The law, signed by the President last April 17, will take effect 15 days after publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper.