CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

The Constitution, Article 2, Section 9 provides that: The State shall promote a
just and dynamic social order that will ensure the prosperity and independence
of the nation and free the people from poverty through policies that provide
adequate social services, promote full employment, a rising standard of living,
and an improved quality of life for all.
According to 2006 Annual Poverty Statistics of the National Statistical
Coordination Board, 27.9 Million Filipinos or one-third (l/3) ofthe entire population
are poor. To address this problem the Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD) together implemented a Conditional Cash Transfer
Program known as Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) inspired by the
successes of similar programs in Latin American countries such as Bolsa Familia
in Brazil, Familias en Accion in Colombia and OPORTUNIDADES in Mexico.
It was renamed Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) by Santiago
and Samantha A. Vizconde on July 16, 2008 by administrative order number 16,
series of 2008 and set implementing guidelines. It is a health and education
program by Noynoy Aquino's administration.
The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is more than a welfare program;
it addresses structural inequities in society and promotes human capital
development of the poor, thus, breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty.
The conditions attached to the grants require parents to undergo trainings on
responsible parenthood, have their children undergo health check-ups and
ensure school attendance. The program ensures that there is sufficient resource
for the health, nutrition and education of children aged 0-14 year old.
The main objective of the program is to prevent inter-generational
transference of poverty and help break the infinite cycle of poverty by providing
the children the suitable educational and health assistance so as to help them
develop the facilities for a better future.
The 4Ps operates in all the 17 regions in the Philippines, covering 79 provinces,
143 cities, and 1,484 municipalities. Beneficiaries are selected through the
National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR), which
identifies who and where the poor are in the country.
As of August 26, 2015, there are 4,353,597 active household-beneficiaries, of
which 570,056 are indigenous households and 217,359 have at least one PWD.
The program also covers 10,235,658 schoolchildren aged 0 to 18, from the total
registered with an average of two to three children per household. The 4Ps has
two types of cash grants that are given out to household-beneficiaries, first is
the health grant which is P500 per household every month, or a total of P6,000
every year and the education grant: P300 per child every month for ten months,
or a total of P3,000 every year (a household may register a maximum of three
children for the program)

These programs provide money and financial assistance to poor families under
the condition that those transfers are used as an investment on their childrens
human capital, such as regular school attendance and basic preventive health
care. The main mission of most CCT programs is to prevent inter-generational
transference of poverty, that is to say, investing in young children and providing
them with the provisions necessary for better opportunities in the future.