In his third State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. highlighted the accomplishments of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in helping poor families achieve self-sufficiency and improving their quality of life.
During his SONA on Monday (July 22) at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City, President Marcos Jr. lauded the program’s efficacy and consistency in meeting its annual targets.
“With a noble aim of breaking the cycle of poverty across the country, the 4Ps has not only consistently accomplished its annual target, it has also proven its efficacy over the years,” President Marcos Jr. said.
The President shared that since his last SONA, more than 420,000 households have already graduated from the 4Ps, or were assessed as self-sufficient.
“Ibig sabihin, sa tulong ng 4Ps, mas gumanda na ang kanilang kalagayan at kakayahang makipagsapalaran sa laban ng buhay,” President Marcos Jr. added.
In his speech, the President also recognized the achievements of 4Ps beneficiaries including the more than 4,000 former 4Ps monitored children who passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers last March, and 35 former 4Ps monitored children who were topnotchers of different licensure and board examinations in the past two years.
“Ilan sa kanila ay si Teacher Khane Jevie Rose Solante Cervantes ng Davao Oriental na nakakuha ng number 1 sa Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers. Isa rin si Engr. Alexis Castillo Alegado na nanguna sa civil engineering board exam noong nakalipas na taon,” President Marcos Jr. pointed out.
Teacher Cervantes and Engr. Alegado were present and attended the SONA 2024. They were able to access scholarship from the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) through the Tertiary Education Subsidy Program.
Aside from 4Ps success, the President also emphasized the administration’s commitment to combating malnutrition by improving the health and nutrition in the “first 1,000 days or the first 2 years of a child’s life.
“To help improve the health and nutrition of children 0 to two years old from the poorest families, we have proposed in the 2025 budget a new grant under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) for this purpose,” President Marcos Jr. added.
Through the proposed First 1,000 Day (F1KD) conditional cash grants under the 4Ps, the government, through the convergence efforts between the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and other government agencies, aims to reinforce the health seeking behavior of the beneficiaries.
The President further detailed how the new F1KD grant will benefit pregnant women, mothers and their children who are beneficiaries of the 4Ps.
“Sa pamamagitan nito, ang isang buntis o ang isang ina na benepisyaryo ng 4Ps ay mabibigyan ng karagdagang tulong pinansyal na laan para sa kanya at kanyang anak,” President Marcos Jr. said.
“Ang tulong na ito ay upang matiyak na siya at ang sanggol na kanyang sinapupunan o batang anak ay maasikaso ng doktor, mababakunahan at mabibigyan ng sapat na nutrisyon,” the President added.
The President’s SONA 2024 underscored the continued importance and impact of the 4Ps in lifting families out of poverty through the investment in health, education, and nutrition of its beneficiaries.
4Ps is the national government’s flagship program for poverty alleviation that is being implemented by the DSWD with the support from the member agencies of the 4Ps National Advisory Council (NAC), other government agencies, private sector, civil society groups, and non-governmental organizations. #