The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Thursday, July 4 said that social protection remains one of the priorities in the proposed 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP), following its endorsement by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. during the 17th Cabinet meeting at Malacañan Palace on July 2.
DSWD Assistant Secretary for External Assistance and Development Juan Carlo “JC” Marquez, also serving as the agency’s co-spokesperson, reiterated the department’s dedication to fulfilling its mandate to develop, implement, and coordinate social protection and poverty-reduction solutions for the poor.
“The DSWD, under the leadership of Secretary Rex Gatchalian, assures the public that our ongoing initiatives are in line with the priorities of the Marcos administration,” Marquez said.
The NEP, which includes critical sectors such as food security, healthcare, housing, disaster resilience, infrastructure, digital connectivity, and energization, reflects President Marcos’s Eight-Point Socioeconomic Agenda and the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028.
Once approved by both houses of Congress, the NEP will become the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) and subsequently the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Marquez said the proposed budget for 2025 amounts to P6.352 trillion, with P229.3 billion allocated to the DSWD.
A significant portion of this funding supports the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), a flagship initiative aimed at alleviating poverty through direct cash grants to eligible households, he added.
Marquez highlighted recent advancements in digitizing cash grant disbursements, including collaborations with private agencies to enhance efficiency across various social protection programs.
Plans under the Human Capital Development Framework include establishing interoperable social registries and transitioning to digital payment systems for cash transfers to improve service delivery efficiency and transparency.
Marquez said achieving a universal, modern, and integrated social protection system, and developing and implementing adaptive and shock-responsive interventions are also included in the priorities under social protection.
“Once approved, this will benefit the qualified and compliant beneficiaries, ensuring that they will continue to receive their grants that will help them attain self-sufficiency and eventually break the intergenerational cycle of poverty in their families,” he said.
The DSWD is also preparing to launch a dynamic social registry to enhance data exchange capabilities crucial for effectively targeting and supporting vulnerable households.