The measure seeking to expand the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps)--the government’s flagship poverty alleviation program--has been approved on third and final reading at the House of Representatives.

Gaining the chamber’s final nod on the strength of 224 affirmative votes during plenary session Tuesday night, May 5 was House Bill (HB) No. 8647.

Deputy Speaker La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega V, the presiding officer at that time, noted three negative votes against the bill. None of the congressmen abstained during nominal voting.

The measure intends to strengthen and expand the 4Ps by increasing support for poor families while creating clearer pathways for education, livelihood and eventual graduation from the program.

House Majority Leader Ilocos Norte 1st Rep. Sandro Marcos says HB No. 8647 keeps the original purpose of 4Ps while making it more responsive to the daily realities of families who need help not only to survive, but to eventually stand on their own.

“4Ps should help families through the hardest years, but it should also give them a real bridge toward better income, better education and better choices for their children,” Rep. Marcos said.

“That is the direction President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. wants for social protection, and under Speaker Bojie Dy, the House is making sure support reaches families in a way that is practical, humane and built for the long term,” added the presidential son.

The bill expands the policy goals of the 4Ps law by adding socio-economic resilience, adult education through the Alternative Learning System, entrepreneurship training, livelihood support and a transition program for graduating beneficiaries.

It strengthens case management by requiring the Department of Social Welfare and Development to use community-level data, household profiling, validation and local planning to connect beneficiaries with the right services.

The measure also recognizes the importance of the first 1,000 days of a child’s life by providing targeted support from conception until the child’s second birthday, when health, nutrition and early development are most critical.

It sets the health and nutrition grant at not less thanz P750 per month for a maximum of 12 months per year, while pregnant women and children under two years old will receive at least P850 per month for the same period.

The bill also provides a P1,000 grant to support early child development and the health and nutrition needs of pregnant and postpartum mothers, infants and young children.

It further sets the rice subsidy at not less than P1,500 per month for a maximum of 12 months per year.

Rep. Marcos said the measure makes 4Ps more than a cash grant program by tying assistance to practical tools that help families move toward self-sufficiency.

“The goal is not to keep families dependent on aid forever. The better goal is to help them get through the present, then open doors to schooling, skills, jobs and livelihood so they can eventually leave the program with dignity,” he said.

The bill requires at least one adult beneficiary to join and complete a chosen track in adult education, entrepreneurship, technical-vocational training or other similar pathways toward employment or livelihood.

It creates a transition program for households scheduled to graduate from 4Ps, ensuring they are not abruptly cut off from support without access to skills training, employment facilitation, financial literacy, microenterprise help or referral services.

The measure also mandates coverage of qualified beneficiaries under the National Health Insurance Program, with premium subsidies shouldered by the national government under the Universal Health Care Act.