HOUSE F REPRESENTATIVES:
Republic of the Philippines RECEIVED
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIV! — pain
Quezon City DNTe SQ JUN 2015

tue 12520
BY:
SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS T
RECISTRATION UIT
First Regular Session BILLS ND INDE X SERVICE

House Bill Nor. _17

Introduced by HON. ROZZANO RUFINO B. BIAZON

EXPLANATORY NOTE,

‘This bill seeks to institutionalize the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). It is
a human development measure of the national government administered by the Department
of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that provides conditional cash grants to the
poorest of the poor. Ultimately, the 4Ps is aimed at reducing, if not eradicating, the incidence
of poverty in the country,

According to the United Nations, poverty is “a denial of choices and opportunities, a
violation of human dignity, I means lack of basie capacity 10 participate effectively in
society. It means not having enough to feed and clothe a family, not having a school or clinic
10 go to, not having the land on which to grow one's food or a job to earn one’s living, not
having access to credit. It means insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals,
households and communities. It means susceptibility (0 violence, and it ofien implies living in
marginal or fragile environments, without access 10 clean water or sanitation”.' As if the
problem of poverty is not grave enough all over the world, experts have added yet another
dimension to this social malaise which makes it even more serious — intergenerational
poverty. This is defined as poverty in which two or more successive generations of a family
continue in the cycle of poverty and government dependence.

‘Transmission of poverty from one generation to the next is attributed fo the long term
effects of poor nutrition, inadequate education and health care, few assets or lack of
opportunities. Latin American and African countries tackled this problem through conditional
cash transfer schemes and were able to lift millions of people from poverty.

"The Statement for Action to Eradicate Poverty adopted by the Administrative Committee
on Coordination in May 1998, quoted in the Report of the Independent Expert on Human Rights and
Extreme Poverty (E/CN.4/1999/48) See Indicators of Poverty and—_Hunger:
www un.org.esa/socdev/unyin/documents/YdiDavidGordon_poverty.pdt.


Learning from the experience of these counties, the Philippines came up with its own
conditional cash transfer scheme and launched the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program
(4Ps). The 4Ps operates in all the seventeen (17) regions of the country covering 79
provinces, 143 cities and 1,484 municipalities. As of August 26, 2015, around 4.3 million
households have benefited from the Program. It has also covered around 10.2 million
schoolchildren age zero (0) to eighteen (18). A total of P278.15 Billion has already been
disbursed by the government through the DSWD as cash grants to cligible and compliant
beneficiaries as of August 2015. From this amount, P13.23 Billion was paid for education,
and the remaining P13.92 Billion was disbursed for health.

Undoubtedly, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program is an effective and efficient
program in addressing poverty in this country. It is therefore necessary that this be enacted in
order that its life and finding will not be dependent on the whims and caprices of whoever is
in the seat of power.

In view of the foregoing, early passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

he R TAOS HLLZON

Representative
Lone District, Muntinlupa City


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

First Regular Session

House Bil No,_17

Introduced by HON, ROZZANO RUFINO B. BIAZON

AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING A CONDITIONAL CASH TRANSFER PROGRAM,
PROVIDING FOR THE AUTOMATIC INDEXATION OF CASH GRANTS AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

Section 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Pantarwid Pamilyang
Pilipino Program (4Ps) Act”.

Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - The State recognizes the need to strengthen the
solidarity of the family and actively promote its total development, It recognizes its
obligation to promote a just and social order that will ensure the prosperity and independence
of the nation and free the people from poverty. ‘The State adheres to policies that provide or
promote adequate social services, full employment, a rising standard of living, and an
improved quality of life for all,

‘Towards these ends, it shall:

a. Provide assistance to the poor to help address their immediate needs and alleviate
their standard of living

b, Break the intergenerational cycle of poverty through investments in human capital
and improved delivery of basic services to the poor, particularly in education,
health and nutrition;

¢. Promote gender equality and empowerment of women;

d. Achieve universal primary education;

e. Reduce child mortality; and


f Improve maternal health,
Sec. 3. Definition of Terms, — As used in this Act:

a. Case management refers to a process used by the Department of Social Welfare
and Development (DSWD) to enable the household-beneficiaries to improve their
functioning by dealing with their difficulties specifically in complying with the
conditionalities of the Program;

b. Compliance verification refers to the checking and monitoring done to ensure that
the qualified household-beneficiaries comply with conditions for entitlement set forth by the
Program;

¢. Conditional cash grant refers to the amount being received by the qualified
household-beneficiaries who comply with the conditions for entitlement;

d, Grantee refers to the most responsible adult member of the qualified household-
beneficiary authorized to receive the conditional cash transfer;

©. Exiremely poor refers to households duly identified by the standardized targeting
system, whose income falls short of enabling them to provide even just their nutritional
requirements;

f. Grievance Redress System refers to the mechanism of the DSWD which addresses
and resolves issues and concerns related to the implementation of the Program;

g. Health facility refers to a barangay health station, rural health unit or primary
hospital;

h. Health service providers refers to barangay health workers, barangay nutrition
scholars and midwives;

i. Household beneficiaries refer to qualified households identified by the DSWD for
entitlement of the monthly conditional cash grant;

j. Poor refers to households whose income falls below the poverty threshold as
defined by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and cannot afford in
a sustained manner to provide their minimum basic needs of food, health, education, housing
and other essential amenities of life;

k. Preventive health check-up refers to health services comprising of complete
immunization, deworming, weight monitoring and management of childhood diseases;

1. Responsible person refers to the parent or guardian in the qualified household-
beneficiary; and

m. Standardized Targeting System refers to a system for identifying who and where
the poor households are through the generation of a socio-economic database of poor
households that is adopted by national government agencies and implemented by the DSWD.

2


Sec. 4. Institutionalization of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. ~ The
Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), hereinafier referred to as the Program, a
national poverty reduction strategy of the government that provides conditional cash transfer
to poor households to improve their health, nutrition and education, is hereby
institutionalized. Henceforth, its implementation shall become an added function of the
DSWD and shall be maintained as regular program funded from its annual appropriations.

Sec. 5. Selection of Household Beneficiaries. - ‘The DSWD shall select household
beneficiaries using a standardized targeting system on a nationwide basis. It shall conduct a
revalidation of targeting of beneficiaries every three (3) years.

Sec. 6. Local Verification Committee, ~ A Local Verification Committee, hereinafter
referred to as the Committee, shall be created in every city or municipality composed of two
representatives from the (2) local government unit to be designated by the Mayor, and a
representative each from the local Department of Education Division Office, an accredited
health service provider and an accredited civil society organization operating within the city
or municipality.

‘The Committee shall be tasked to ensure that the household beneficiaries identified by
the DSWD satisfy the eligibility requirements set forth in Section 10 of this Act.

Sec. 7. Conditional Cash Transfer, ~ Subject to certain conditions, each household
beneficiary shall receive a conditional cash transfer equivalent to Five Hundred Pesos
(P500.00) per month for health and nutrition expenses or the equivalent of Six Thousand
Pesos (P6,000.00) per household beneficiary per year.

A maximum of three (3) children per household beneficiary shall be given the
following conditional cash grants for educational expenses:

a. Three Hundred Pesos (P300.00) per month per child enrolled in elementary or the
equivalent of Three ‘Thousand Pesos (P3,000.00) per a ten (10)-month school year.

b. Five Hundred Pesos (P500.00) per month per child enrolled in junior high school
or the equivalent of Five Thousand Pesos (P5,000.00) per a ten (10)-month school year; and

c. Seven Hundred Pesos (P700.00) per month per child enrolled in senior high
school or the equivalent of Seven Thousand Pesos (P7,000,00) per a ten (10)-month school
year.

A supplementary education grant of Three Hundred Pesos (P300.00) per month shall
be given to the child in the elementary or high school who is able to maintain passing grades
in all subjects after the second year of availment of the Program.

Sec. 8. Mode of Cash Transfer. — The conditional cash transfer shall be received by
the grantee or any of the grantee’s duly authorized representative on a bi-monthly basis
through an authorized government depository bank duly identified by the DSWD, using
different appropriate payment modes, including but not limited to, cash cards, over-the-
counter transaction, money remittance services, conduit rural banks and cooperatives,


Sec. 9 Periodic Assessment. ~ The amounts indicated in Section 7 hereof shall be
made available to household beneficiaries during the first two (2) years of the implementation
of this Act. Thereafter, reasonable adjustments may be made by the DSWD based on the
inflation rate, other relevant economic indicators and existing socio-economic conditions that
may warrant such changes in the amounts, The DSWD shall ensure that the grant rates are
sufficient to make a positive impact on the health, nutrition and education of grantees:
Provided, That the DSWD shall ensure that the grant will not serve as a disincentive for
family members to work and improve their economic conditions.

Sec. 10. Conditions for Entitlement. — All household benefi
the follor

s shall comply with
conditions as a requirement for continued Program eligibility:

a. Children zero (0) to five (5) years old must receive regular preventive health
check-ups and vaccinations;

b, Children six (6) to thirteen (13) years old must avail of deworming pills at least
twice a year;

©. Children three (3) to five (5) years old must attend day care of pre-school elasses
at least eighty-five percent (85%) of the time;

d. Children must attend elementary or high school classes at least eighty-five percent
(85%) of the time;

. Pregnant women must avail of pre- and post-natal care and give birth with the
assistance of a skilled or trained health care professional in a health facility;

£. At least one (1) responsible person must attend family development sessions and
responsible parenthood sessions conducted by the DSWD, at least once a month;

8 At least one (1) responsible person must join and complete at least two (2)
government-recognized or accredited non-government organization (NGO)-sponsored
entrepreneurship or livelihood training programs;

h. At least one (1) responsible person must maintain cleanliness in the surroun
and practice proper garbage disposal;

i. At least one (1) responsible person must plant a tree in the surroundings; and

‘At least one (1) responsible person must assist or participate in bayanihan projects
in their respective barangays or municipalities

Sec. 11. Non-compliance with Conditions, ~ The responsible person of a household
beneficiary who fails to comply with the conditions set forth in the preceding section shall at
first be notified in writing. After four (4) months of non-compliance, the household
beneficiary shall then be subjected to case management. If, despite the case management, the
household beneficiary continues with non-compliance, the benefits under this Act may be
suspended,


Should the household beneficiary so notified persist in not complying with the
conditions within a period of one (1) year, the conditional cash grant shall be cancelled.

Sec. 12. Loan Assistance. — Responsible persons who successfully complete
entrepreneurship or livelihood programs required in Section 10 hereof may avail of loan
assistance as initial capital from government financial institutions authorized for this purpose.

Sec. 13. Five (5)-Year Maximum Limit, - Each household beneficiary shall receive the
conditional cash grant provided under this Act for a maximum of five (5) years.

Sec. 14. Lead Agency. — The DSWD shall serve as the central planning, coordinating,
implementing and monitoring body of the Program.

In the implementation of this Act, the DSWD shall have the following functions:

a, Select and use appropriate, effective and cost-efficient method for the purpose of
identifying and selecting household beneficiaries

b. Identify and select household beneficiaries based on a uniform, objective and
transparent selection process;

€. Conduct seminars, workshops, training programs and such other similar activities
in order to ensure the awareness of houschold beneficiaries of the conditions and other
important information and actions pertinent to this Act;

4. Coordinate with relevant national and local agencies, including private and civil
society organizations to ensure the effective implementation of this Act;

e. Set up monitoring and evaluation systems and methodologies on compliance of
conditions, implementation of operations, and output and impact assessments. It shall also
coordinate with the advisory and monitoring committees at the national, regional and
municipal levels to verify compliance at least once a month using the monitoring and
evaluation systems designed for the purpose;

f. Recommend to the President measures and policies for the responsive delivery of
the commitments of the State under this Act;

g- Coordinate with relevant national and local agencies to maintain and update
objective poverty maps that shall be periodically validated for duplications and inaccurate or
erroneous information;

h. Formulate the necessary rules and regulations for the implementation of this Act;

i, Submit an annual report containing all relevant information on the implementation
of the Program to Congress; and

J. Perform such other functions as may be necessary or incidental to the effective
implementation of this Act.


See. 15. Advisory Council. — An Advisory Council, hereinafter referred to as the
Council, shall be created at the municipal, regional and national levels to be headed by the
DSWD Secretary or his/her duly authorized representatives at the municipal and regional
levels, and shall be composed of representatives from the Department of Education (DepEd),
‘Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Health
(DOH), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Department of the Interior and
Local Government (DILG), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Labor
and Employment (DOLE), National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), Presidential
Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP), and the local government unit concerned as
members.

The Council shall be principally tasked to monitor and assess actions and activities
relative to the implementation of the Program, It shall also serve as a Grievance Committee
tasked to accept complaints and grievances that may arise within their respective
Jurisdictions, conduct investigations and decide cases filed in connection thereto, using the
Grievance Redress System.

Sec. 16. Independent Monitoring Committee, - An Independent Monitoring
Committee composed of representatives from the private sector and civil society
organizations shall be created at the municipal, regional and national levels. It shall
principally be tasked to complement the monitoring activities of the DSWD and provide
feedback thereto for proper action. It shall also submit a report on the result of its monitoring
activities relative to the implementation of the Program to the Advisory Council,

Sec. 17. Convergence of Programs and Services. - Multi-stakeholder and inter-
agency convergence of programs and services shall be employed to ensure the success of the
Program. This approach shall focus on the enhancement of operational efficiency and
strengthening of inter-agency synergy for greater impact and implementation of the Program,

Sec. 18. Appropriations. — The amounts necessary to carry out the provisions of this
Act shall be charged against the current and subsequent appropriations of the DSWD and
other departments, agencies or instrumentalities tasked to implement this Act under the
General Appropriations Act.

See. 19. Penalty. - Any person, public or private, whether or not acting in conspiracy
with public officials, who, by act or omission, inserts or allows the insertion of data or false
information, or who diverts from what ought to be contained in the registry of household
beneficiaries, for purposes of altering facts or aiding in the grant of money to persons other
than grantees, shall be penalized with imprisonment of not less than one (1) month but not
more than six (6) months, or a fine of not less than Ten Thousand Pesos (P10,000.00) but not
more than Twenty Thousand Pesos (P20,000.00), or both imprisonment and fine, at the
discretion of the court,

Administrative sanctions shall be imposed without prejudice to prosecution in the
proper courts,

Sec. 20. Congressional Oversight Committee. - There is hereby created a
Congressional Oversight Committee to monitor and oversee the implementation of the
provisions of this Act. The Committee shall be composed of six (6) members from the Senate
and six (6) members from the House of Representatives with the Chairpersons of the

6


Committee on Poverty Alleviation of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Social Justice Welfare and Rural Development of the Senate as Joint Chairpersons.

Sec. 21. Sunset Review. — As the need arises or within two (2) years after its
effectivity, the Congressional Oversight Committee shall conduct a sunset review of this Act.
‘The term “sunset review” shall mean a systematic evaluation of the accomplishments and
impact of this act, as well as the performance and organizational structure of its implementing
agencies, for purposes of determining remedial legislation.”

Sec. 22, Implementing Rules and Regulations, ~ Within six (6) months from the
effectivity of this Act, the Secretary of Social Welfare and Development shall, in
coordination with appropriate government departments and agencies, with the participation of
local government units, promulgate the necessary rules and regulations to carry out the
provisions of this Act.

Sec. 23. Repealing Clause. - All laws, executive orders, rules and regulations
inconsistent with or contrary to this Act, are hereby deemed accordingly repealed or
amended,

Sec, 24, Separability Clause. ~ If, for any reason, any section or provision of this Act
is declared unconstitutional or invalid, the other sections or provisions not affected thereby
shall remain in full force and effect.

Sec. 25. Hffectivity Clause. ~ This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days after its
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of national circulation,