GOV’T AGENCIES WORKING CASH ADJUSTMENTS FOR 4PS BENEFICIARIES

THREE government agencies are now determining the best index to use for the automatic adjustment of cash grants of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is working with the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in trying to nd the best index to use for the automatic adjustment of the dole outs.

“I would like to reiterate what Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian said that adjusting the cash grants of 4Ps beneficiaries is not just timely but that it also preserves the value of the grants,” Assistant Secretary for Disaster Response Management Irene Dumlao said.

Dumlao, who is concurrently the department’s spokesperson, explained that working with NEDA and PSA is important in order for the DSWD to come up with the right amount to make sure the 4Ps grants will be able to cushion the spikes caused by in ation.

The in ation rate has inched to 3.8 percent in April from 3.7 percent in March.

Early this year, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr directed the DSWD, NEDA and PSA to study the current cash assistance given to indigents and recipients of the 4Ps to make these more responsive to economic shocks.

“Part of the directive of the President is for the DSWD, NEDA and PSA to come up with a proposal to ensure that the cash grants are responsive to present socio-economic conditions and automatically adjusted even without legislation,” Dumlao said.

The 4Ps is the national poverty reduction strategy and human capital investment program of the Philippine government and currently caters to 4.4 million household-beneficiaries nationwide.