Qualified indigents cannot be deprived of subsidy from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) even if they have not been vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra said on Monday, Nov. 8.
This was pointed out by Guevarra amidst plans of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to exclude unvaccinated beneficiaries of 4Ps from receiving the government subsidy.
“For those who have already qualified under the 4Ps Act, they become legally entitled to the conditional cash transfer benefits, provided they continue to comply with all the conditions under Section 11 of the law,” Guevarra explained.
“The cash transfer is a transaction between the government, through the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development), and the qualified household beneficiary,” he added.
He said that under Republic Act No. 114251, the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021, “vaccination cards shall not be an additional mandatory requirement for government transactions, among others.”
“Hence, non-vaccination against COVID-19 cannot be a ground for suspension or termination of conditional cash transfer benefits if the beneficiary household has already qualified, and continues to qualify, under the 4Ps Act,” he stressed.
DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya had disclosed a government’s plan to withhold the 4Ps subsidy to unvaccinated beneficiaries.
“The 4Ps is called a conditional transfer because before you can get your regular subsidy from the government, you have to meet certain conditions,” Malaya said during a radio interview.
“We will just add another condition which is vaccination,” he added.
Malaya noted that there are more than four million 4Ps beneficiaries who remain unvaccinated against COVID-19.