DSWD: 4Ps aims to break poverty cycle, not promote dependency
By Jel Santos
The government’s flagship poverty alleviation initiative, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), is not a mere handout but a long-term development strategy designed to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian said.
“Isa sa pinakamalaking development program namin ay yung 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program). Hindi iyan ayuda. ‘Yung 4Ps na ’yan ay dinesign para una, i-ahon ang ating mga kababayan at hindi masalin ang kahirapan [mula] sa isang henerasyon patungo sa susunod na henerasyon (One of our biggest development programs is the 4Ps. That’s not financial aid. It’s designed, first and foremost, to uplift our citizens and to prevent poverty from being passed down from one generation to the next),” Gatchalian said in a television interview on Thursday, June 5.
The DSWD chief clarified that social welfare is not about fostering dependency, but rather a platform for sustainable development, especially for poor families who are the program’s main beneficiaries.
“Hindi dapat natin tingnan na masama ang social welfare pero paulit-ulit kong sinasabi na may development function kami. Iyon yung pangmatagalan na solusyon…oo binibigyan sila ng financial assistance, pero may conditions. Uma-attend sila ng family development sessions, yung mga anak mo dapat ay nasa school, yung mga basic na health care intervention ay dapat nandiyan (We should not view social welfare negatively, but I keep saying we have a development function. This is the long-term solution. Yes, we give financial assistance, but there are conditions — they must attend family development sessions, their children must be in school, and they must avail of basic healthcare services),” he stated.
To promote self-reliance and avoid dependency, Gatchalian said 4Ps beneficiaries must meet specific conditions such as sending their children to school, attending family development sessions, and accessing basic health services.
The current administration, according to Gatchalian, is ensuring that beneficiaries who reach the self-sufficiency threshold do not relapse into poverty.
“In this Administration, meron tayong ine-employ na tool na matagal nang nandiyan. Iyong mga social workers natin na case managers, kapag umabot na sa self-sufficiency or level 3, ine-exit na natin (In this administration, we’re using a tool that’s long been available. Our social workers, who act as case managers, facilitate the exit of beneficiaries once they reach self-sufficiency or level 3),” he noted.
As of April 30, 2025, the agency said a total of 860,471 household-beneficiaries have graduated from the 4Ps after being assessed as self-sufficient based on the Social Welfare and Development Indicators (SWDI).
Per the DSWD, these households were exited from the program either before or upon reaching the seven-year maximum duration, in accordance with existing policy.
The DSWD will keep monitoring the status of graduating 4Ps beneficiaries in partnership with their LGUs to ensure continued assistance, Gatchalian said.