LIVED EXPERIENCES OF A PERSON UNDER PANTAWID PAMILYANG PILIPINO

PROGRAM (4P’s)

Introduction and Background of the Study

Life is still a beautiful thing even if there are struggles such as poverty. As the cases of
poverty are continuously emerging in the country, some people are having a hard time to reach
their goals. Various problems such as lack of education, homelessness, food shortage,
increasing number of crimes, unemployment and health problems are mostly caused by
poverty. Some people are pushed to do immoral things because they lack with knowledge and
sometimes because of illness and hunger.

Because of poverty, the government launch a program known as the Pantawid

Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4P’s) during the regime of former presidents Gloria Macapagal-
Arroyo and Benigno Simeon Aquino III. This program aims to help families with poor life
conditions. According to the World Bank (2017), the program aims to break the cycle of poverty
by keeping children aged 0-18 healthy and in school, so they can have a better future.

4P’s is one of the aids to lack of education of the children. This program helps the
children to have a better life and it is giving them the privilege to experience their right to have
proper education. 4P’s is providing support to those children who are willing to study. The
government is giving cash grants on the beneficiaries so that they can help the children within
the family to continuously go to school. In exchange, the parent or guardian has to perform
community service to help in maintaining the cleanliness of the surrounding.

The researchers conducted this research to know the lived experiences of those people
under Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4P’s). As the research progress, the researchers
found out that it is not easy to be a 4P’s member, there are many responsibilities but the
program is beneficial in spite the gaps such as not enough money given by the government and
conflicts in the process of membership that is present in the program. This paper aims to reach
the readers for them to be knowledgeable about the condition of 4P’s members and as well as
to reach the government to continuously support and improve the program to help the fellow
countrymen to escape poverty.

Poverty is a great problem in our country, the people and the government should help
each other to mend this phenomenon. By the help of 4P’s, there is a higher possibility to lessen
our countrymen’s problem regarding to poverty.
 The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program has benefits. As stated by Ong and Flores
(2011) the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is a government program that provides
conditional cash grants to the poorest of the poor to alleviate poverty in our country. In fact, this
program helped to improve the health, nutrition, and education of children of low-income
families.

In addition, Araceli M. Layog, 4Ps regional program coordinator said that each
household is granted 500 pesos per month for health and nutrition expenses, while each child
from 0-14 years old is granted 300 pesos per month for education expenses for the 10-month
school year, up to a maximum of three children in each household (CASCARO, 2012).

According to the interview of Sun Star to a student from Benguet State University last
2015, He said, “This government scholarship program is a very big help for me to pursue my
dream. I wish to teach young children as I believe that whatever knowledge and values I will
teach them, they will carry till they grow old. At the same time having work will also be a big help
for our family.”

Also, an interview conducted by Clemente (2018) to the volunteer beneficiaries Shar and
Wilma. Shar stated that his parents had no source of income but, because of the program, he
was able to graduate from high school. Aside from that, he didn’t need to stop studying and had
tuition for college since his siblings are also beneficiaries of 4Ps. Meanwhile, Wilma’s children
are the beneficiaries of 4Ps and, because of the program they can buy necessities at home.
With the help they have been receiving, she was one of the first volunteers to teach writing.

Along with the benefits are the responsibilities of the members, as stated by Garcia
(2016), The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) has reminded about the importance of
education, urging them to continue efforts to send their children to school to instill awareness on
the 4Ps beneficiaries of their obligations. They are reminded to consistently fulfill the principles
of the program.

“As a parent leader, it is my responsibility to locate my members, check on them their

family most especially the kids” said Burines at the interview of Pantawid Pamilya (2014).
“Together with my co-parent leaders, we are accounted for our members and ensured their
safety especially the children” she added.
 According to the interview conducted by Clemente (2018) to a member of 4P’s to
Sorsogon named Beatriz, it is both their desire as well that their children do not undergo the
same hardships they went through. So they really support their children with regards to their
studies.

There are still processes that the members should undergo before they became a
beneficiary of 4P’s. Director Macapobre said, once the household is identified as poor, they will
become potential beneficiaries for various social protection programs of the government like the
Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. However, their inclusion in the programs still depends on
the programs qualifications or criteria as said by the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program
(2018).

As related to this, The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will
remove some beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). The removal of
some of the program beneficiaries is part of the recertification process that will be conducted.
Joan Florabel Felicio said that the recertification will determine if some of the beneficiaries still
need to receive the financial assistance from the government as stated by the Department of
Social Welfare and Development (2017).

As members of 4P’s, there are still prohibitions that they must obey. It is stated by DOLE
(2013) Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) conditionalities includes child labor prohibition. This
resolution will be helpful to homeless street families, migrant families, families and children
displaced by man-made and natural calamities, families with child laborers, out-of-school youth,
orphaned, abandoned, abused, and other children in difficult circumstances.

Furthermore, Regional Grievance Officer Odissa Esther Kilayco said Pantawid

Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) links at the community level are giving emphasis on
prohibition of ATM pawning and misusing of 4Ps cash grants during assemblies with
beneficiaries. They are also warning beneficiaries of possible suspension of cash grant release
if they would be found guilty of using it to purchase goods or services other than for the
education and health of their children as said by Abangan (2011)

Even though there are many benefits that a member can get from 4P’s, there are still
struggles. Therefore, in this research as stated by Lao (2017) Anteza believed that most of the
unwithdrawn cash grants belonged to delisted beneficiaries of the government’s poverty
alleviation program. The DSWD delisted all household-beneficiaries who failed to comply with
the programs conditions, pawned their cash cards to loan sharks, misused their cash grants and
pretended to be poor.

According to Schelzig (2015), poor people are becoming less poor, but they are not
becoming non-poor. This has a lot to do with the fact that the value of the benefit hasn’t
changed since the program started in 2008. Inflation has made the grants worth a lot less today
than they were then.
Ballesteros and Orbeta (2015) added that the employment facilitation program has been
well-received by its target participants. It is also regarded by many participants as a critical
conduit for their employment. However, they noted that aside from the limitations of employment
facilitation, the program also has poor targeting mechanism.

Synthesis

According to Cecchini and Madariaga (2011), 4P’s is a social program that entails
monetary and non-monetary transfers to the poor or poorest families who have the school-aged
children on the condition that they meet the program’s term that are aimed at improving their
capacities. The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program’s mission is to provide cash and help
Filipino people who are experiencing too much poverty but even though it offers a lot of benefits
and its main objective is to help, there are still flaws in it that every beneficiary is experiencing.

The researchers found out that some beneficiaries experienced delayed salaries and the
given money by the government is still not enough to sustain all their needs for their daily living.
The researchers also chose not to bias the gathered information from the respondents of this
research.

This study needs to be conducted because it will benefit the readers and everyone’s own
awareness about the topic. Its main purpose is to let people know the lived experiences of a
4P’s member as well as to know their own struggles and hardships. It will also be a big help for
every member and to the government for them to be knowledgeable enough about their
program and all the challenges that the members are facing.