(MANILA BULLETIN)

1-Pacman Party-list Rep. Mikee Romero hopes that the proposed significant budget bump for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) next year would translate to more families benefitting from the pro-poor initiative. 

Romero, the chairman of the Committee on Poverty Alleviation, said the 4Ps allocation was increased by P7.9 billion, or from P106.3 billion in this year’s national budget to P114.2 billion for 2025. 

“We hope that more families would be covered because 4Ps is really an effective poverty alleviation program as evidenced by the number of children from 4Ps households who have been assisted and who have finished college and are now working and helping their parents and siblings,” Romero said in a statement Wednesday, Aug. 7. 

He noted that President Marcos even highlighted in his recent State of the Nation Address (SONA) the two graduates from 4Ps beneficiaries who have excelled in their licensure examinations. 

Romero cited data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), which showed that a total of 32,556 children from 4Ps families have finished their college education since 2016 up to April 30 this year. 

Of that number, 82 graduated magna cum laude and 1,135 had cum laude honors, he said. 

“These numbers show that aside from being an effective poverty reduction program, 4Ps is also a potent human development tool. The funds the President and Congress allocate each year for the program are a wise investment in human capital,” he said. 

Romero said the President also included in the 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP) P49.8 billion for the P1,000 monthly stipend of qualified indigent senior citizens as identified by the DSWD. 

He says some 4.6 million elderly Filipinos are expected to receive the P1,000 monthly allowance. 

“On behalf of millions of 4Ps families and senior citizens, we thank the President for the huge allocations,” he said. 

He said funds for both programs are part of the proposed P226.7-billion DSWD budget for next year.