MANILA – Some 1,182 household beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in Aklan have achieved “self-sufficiency” status after successfully graduating from the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) program in February.
On behalf of Secretary Rex Gatchalian, DSWD spokesperson Romel Lopez congratulated the 4Ps graduates “for their commitment to improve the lives of their family members and ensure that their children will have a good future.”
The graduates were recognized during the ANI 2024 Simultaneous Graduation Ceremony organized by DSWD Field Office-6 (Western Visayas) on Feb. 16, 20, 22, and 27.
The objective of the graduation ceremony is to recognize the 4Ps families who have reached Level 3 or the self-sufficiency status.
A self-sufficient household has the means to support and sustain its daily needs.
Lopez, also assistant secretary of the DSWD, said the exit of the recipients from the 4Ps program does not mean that the government will let go of them completely.
“The DSWD Field Office Western Visayas endorsed these families to their respective local government units (LGU) as part of the aftercare program to ensure that they will not slide back to poverty,” he added.
The households are part of the 1.2 million 4Ps beneficiaries scheduled to exit from the program this year through the 4Ps Kilos-Unlad (KU) Framework.
The KU Framework is a seven-year social case management strategy guiding the care of 4Ps beneficiary families toward improving their lives, signaling their exit from the program, and providing an opportunity for other impoverished Filipino families to be included in the program.
The 4Ps is the national poverty reduction strategy and a human capital investment program of the government that provides conditional cash transfers to qualified household beneficiaries.
It is a human development program that provides social protection, social assistance, social development, and other complementary support services in partnership with concerned agencies, local government units, and other stakeholders toward improving the health and nutrition, education, and socio-economic aspects of the lives of the beneficiaries.
Currently, the DSWD’s 4Ps has 4.4 million household beneficiaries nationwide. (PNA)
