Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian announced that the agency has commissioned Brain Trust Inc., a third-party evaluator, to assess the effectiveness of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and its synergy with other government anti-poverty initiatives.

“We procured the service of a third-party vendor, Brain Trust Inc. founded by Dr. Cielito Habito, to look at the success rate of pulling people out of poverty through 4Ps and its relation to other government anti-poverty programs like Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) and Medical Assistance for Indigent Patients (MAIP),” Gatchalian said in a forum on April 5.

The DSWD chief noted that this will be the first time that the program is evaluated by a third-party entity. The results are expected in October.

“This is a comprehensive study, and we expect to receive the results sometime in October. For the first time, a third-party evaluator will assess the success of these programs in alleviating poverty,” Gatchalian said.

Under Republic Act No. 11310, or the 4Ps Act, there is an impact assessment component to evaluate the effectiveness of the 4Ps, the accuracy of the list of household-beneficiaries, and the overall program implementation.

“The 4Ps has a built-in impact assessment under the law. The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) conducts this assessment every three years,” Gatchalian said.

Since 2010, he noted that about 12.2 million children have graduated from school under the program, with 4.2 million completing elementary school and 4.5 million finishing high school.

About 37,000 beneficiaries have passed licensure exams.

Another success indicator was the higher enrollment rates among 4Ps households.

“The most important factor in the impact assessment is the enrollment of children, from primary education to senior high school. Enrollment rates are consistently higher among families enrolled in 4Ps,” Gatchalian said.

He added that nearly nine out of 10 children from 4Ps families continue their education up to junior or senior high school, surpassing the enrollment rates of their non-4Ps counterparts.