COA: 90% of Pantawid beneficiaries yet to rise above poverty despite years in the program

Ninety percent of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries have remained below poverty line even if they have been in the program for seven years and more, the Commission on Audit (COA) said in a report.

In its performance report on the program, COA said about 3,820,012 or 90% of the 4,262,439 active household-beneficiaries have been with the program for seven to 13 years "with a total of P537.39 billion cash grants given as at June 30, 2021."

"This means that 90% of the active household-beneficiaries remained below poverty threshold even after being in the program for a long period of time," it added.

In a Senate budget hearing on Wednesday, Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo agreed that there is a need to review the 4Ps law that was signed in 2019 by then-President Rodrigo Duterte.

"Maganda naman ang layunin pero mukhang hindi po talagang napag-aralan nang maayos, the way I look at it," Tulfo said.

The law imposes a sever-year limit for poor households to stay in the 4Ps program, which started during the Arroyo administration.

Seven-year limit

In its report, the COA pointed out that this limit could delist majority of the beneficiaries by 2026, including school children.

"This seven-year rule may affect the chances of the student-beneficiaries to complete their high school education," the COA said.

It added that as of March 2020, about 2.6 million or 33% of 4Ps student-beneficiaries were still below Grade 6.

"Applying this limit, essentially about 2.6 million students will no longer receive financial support from the program by 2026," the COA said.

The seven-year limit, the commission said, "is crucial and needed to be given equal attention because the last two years of school are designed to equip the students with skills that will increase their chances of landing a job."

Senator Risa Hontiveros earlier filed a resolution seeking to convene a joint congressional oversight committee to evaluate the need for the continuous implementation of the 4Ps Law. —KBK, GMA News