Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) National Program Manager and Director Gemma B. Gabuya pushed for a more impactful convergence by strengthening partnerships with national government agencies (NGAs) during her opening remarks at the Visioning and Convergence Planning Workshop held on September 10-13 in Tagaytay City.
“Matagal pa po ang return of investment, 10 years, 15 years, pero malaki ang tulong ng 4Ps. From this workshop we can still produce more topnotchers, we can still produce more college graduates, of the children who were being helped from the 4Ps program,” Director Gabuya said.
“So I hope it will inspires us, makita natin kung ano yung “taya” o yung ways of sustainability. Maliwanag dito sa ating convergence na may makikitang results ng mga actions na nagawa na natin. So, I hope we will have a productive workshop,” the 4Ps national program manager added.
Supported by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the workshop gathered key national agencies to identify innovations, formulate policies to enhance program convergence and explore complementarities with other government programs that will help maximize the 4Ps’ impact across the nation.
Recalling the 2020 visioning experience in Palawan, Director Gabuya underscored that this year’s workshop builds on the foundations laid by past initiatives.
“We’re not starting from zero, we will build on our experiences, in the NAC Visits, in our meetings, and of course in your monitoring in terms of your ‘pagtataya’ in the implementation of the program,” Director Gabuya said, emphasizing the importance of continuity and learning from past efforts.
Director Gabuya also emphasized that the workshop is vital in assessing the program of the 4Ps’ progress after its institutionalization through Republic Act No. 11310 or the 4Ps Law in 2019.
“Limang taon na po yung batas, so it is very timely to check where are we? Sinasabi natin na whole-of-nation ang approach when it comes to 4Ps,” the 4Ps national program manager stated.
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Undersecretary for Policy and Planning Dr. Rosemarie G. Edillon, PhD, served as a resource person on the importance of adopting a Whole-of-Nation Strategy in implementing the program.
USec. Edillon emphasized the need for an ‘All Hands on Deck’ approach in aiming to go beyond poverty reduction and contribute to achieving the goals of AmBisyon 2040.
Meanwhile, Maya Faisal of UNICEF highlighted in her speech the importance of enhancing both horizontal and vertical convergence across services to ensure stronger coordination and alignment of interventions among NGAs and Local Government Units (LGUs).
The workshop was attended by the members of the 4Ps National Advisory Council (NAC) and National Technical Working Group (NTWG). It covered a discussion on the overall social protection and poverty alleviation strategy, revisiting of the 4Ps implementation, update, and review of the convergence and partnership framework in the Pantawid Kilos-Unlad.
The participants of the activity include the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Technical Education and Skills, Development Authority (TESDA), Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), and NEDA.
The National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), Commission on Population and Development (CPD), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of Agriculture (DA), National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) , Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (CHed – UniFAST), and Save the Children Philippines also joined the workshop.
Through convergence, the 4Ps is hopeful to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty of more than 4 million active households by providing conditional cash transfers to improve their health, nutrition, and education. #