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The government's Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) contributed big time to the 26 percent reduction in the number of working children in the country. 

Quezon City 4th district Rep. Marvin Rillo expressed this belief as he hailed the program for encouraging many poor families to enroll their kids in school. 

"There’s no question that the 4Ps is slowly but surely helping to put and retain more children in school, where they should be, to obtain a proper education,” Rillo said in a statement on Tuesday, Nov. 26. 

The 4Ps provides cash grants to poor households, subject to their compliance with requirements such as sending their children to school, visiting health centers for check-ups, and attending family development sessions. 

In Quezon City’s 4th congressional district, Rillo has prioritized the distribution of free school supplies to public elementary and high school students. 

“By providing school children with free uniforms, bags, and shoes, we are creating classrooms where everybody feels valued and dignified,” Rillo said, ahead of the culmination of National Children’s Month. 

Last week, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that the number of children working in the country fell by a whopping 26 percent to 1.09 million in 2023 from 1.48 million in 2022. 

Rillo noted that the propoosed 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) or national budget approved by the House of Representatives last September allocates another P114.2 billion for the 4Ps cash grants. 

“The sum is P7.9 billion higher than this year’s P106.3-billion allocation for the program,” added Rillo, a member of the House committee on appropriations. 

The 4Ps provides 4.4 million household beneficiaries with cash grants of not lower than: 

• P300 per month per child for a maximum of 10 months per year for every child enrolled in day care or elementary school; 

• P500 per month per child for a maximum of 10 months per year for every child enrolled in junior high school; 

• P700 per month per child for a maximum of 10 months per year for every child enrolled in senior high school; and 

• P750 per month in health and nutrition aid for a maximum of 12 months per year. 

In addition, the 4Ps provides a P600 monthly rice subsidy in cash to household beneficiaries.