Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

FIFTHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILLWo, - 848

Introduced by: HON, MA. AMELITA CALIMBAS - VILLAROSA

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Mass poverty is perennial problem of emerging economics like the
Philippines. It is triggered by a shrinking resource base, rising population,
unemployment, displacement and other social and economic implications of
development.

Abject poverty and extreme want a sap the human being of its dignity
and limit its capacity to live a full life, thus, the need to constantly come up
with institutional and operational innovations to alleviate poverty.

Governments continue to formulate and design sustainable and
comprehensive programs to keep poverty a minimum level, if not to
eradicate it altogether. These programs consider the need to deliver adequate
basic service, such as food security, income security, education, functional
literacy, health cares services.

Very early on, the Arroyo administration has implemented and multi-
sectoral approach to address the problem of poverty. Short term and long-
term strategies and programs have been designed to cause not only an
immediate impact on lives of the extremely cycle of poverty. The most
notable of these is the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

The 4Ps is a flagship anti poverty program of the government that
grants conditional cash subsidy to the poorest household in the country to
improve their health, nutrition and education; particularly children aged 0-
14. The program is basically intended to immediately impact on the hunger
situation of the poorest families by granting them conditional cash benefits
and in long-term, break the vicious of poverty by investing human capital
such as sending the children to school and bringing them to health care
centers on a regular basis.

As of January 2008, the 4Ps has benefited some 203,587 household
beneficiaries. To date, 511,207 household have been surveyed in 162
municipalities, 23 provinces and six cities, wherein 244,057 were processed
and identified as potential beneficiaries.


The 4Ps is patterned after the Latin American Conditional Cash
Transfer (CCT) Programs, the largest of which is Brazil’s Bolsa Familia
Program (Bolsa Familia).

Since its creation in 2003, the Bolsa Familia has significantly reduced
the poverty situation in Brazil and has changed and is changing the lives of
millions. From 34% of the population living under poverty line in 2003 to
22.7% in 2007 and 17% in 2009, the program has caused marked
improvement in standard of living Brazil’s poor and extremely poor. Similar
upward swing has been noted in the health, employment, life expectancy,
literacy indices. Latin America and the Caribbean Region have been since
duplicated this anti-poverty mechanism of the Bolsa Familia.

The 4Ps, our own version of the Bolsa Familia,is also contributing
much to alleviate hunger and poverty situation of target beneficiaries,
especially the extremely poor Filipinos. By investing to human capital, this
program has great potential of finally breaking the backbone of poverty in
the country and creating opportunities for everybody to live a full, the
productive and meaningful life.

Said bill is approved on the Third Reading at the House of
Representatives on January 26, 2010. It has been pending with the Senate
since its transmittal and receipt on January 28, 2010

The early passage of this bill is strongly recommended.

MA. AMELITA CALIMBAS - VILLAROSA


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

RECEIVED “2
DATE 96 JUL 2019 '

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HOUSE BILLNO.. 848

FIFTHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

Introduced by: HON. MA. AMELITA CALIMBAS — VILLAROSA

AN ACT
TO INSTITUTIONALIZE THE CONDITIONAL
CASH SUBSIDY PROGRAM OF THE
GOVERNMENT AND PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR

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
“Bulsa Pamilya Act of 2009”.

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy —

The State recognizes the need to strengthen the solidarity of the
family and active promote its total development;

The State further recognizes its obligation to 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; and,

The State furthermore recognizes the need to protect the weak
and under-privileged, especially the extremely poor households; thus,
the State hereby declares it a policy to:


2.1. Adopt mechanisms to reduce poverty by
providing grants to extremely poor households to
improve their health, nutrition and education, particularly
of children aged 0-14;

2.2. Make available basic requirements for healthy
and productive citizenry, such as basic education and
nutrition to the poorest households; and,

2.3. Expand opportunities and empower the
marginalized groups to enhance their capacities.

SECTION 3. Definition of Terms — as used in this bill, the
following terms and phrases shall mean:

a, “Department” - the Department of Social
Welfare and Development;

b. “Individual-Beneficiary” - the legitimate
spouse, legitimate, legitimated, legally adopted and
illegitimate children who belong to the identified and
selected poorest households in the country;

c. “Beneficiary-Household” - the poorest
household in the country identified/targeted by the
Department for entitlement of the Monthly Conditional
Cash Subsidy;

d. “Responsible Person” - the parent or guardian
in the targeted household-beneficiary;

e. “Child” - a minor child belonging to the
household-beneficiary aged 0-14;

f. “Proxy Mean Testing” - an instrument using
multi-dimensional indicators to assess socio-economic
status; and,

g. “Conditional Cash Subsidy” - the monthly
cash grant to be received by each identified household-
beneficiary.

SECTION 4. Conditional Cash Subsidy. - Subject to certain
conditions, each identified/targeted household-beneficiary shall
receive a conditional cash subsidy equivalent to Five Hundred Pesos
(P500.00) per month for health and nutrition expenses or the
equivalent of Six Thousand Pesos (26,000.00) per household-


beneficiary per year, and an additional Three Hundred Pesos
(P300.00) per month per child for educational expenses or the
equivalent of Three Thousand Pesos (P3,000) per a 10-month school
year. A maximum of three (3) children per household-beneficiary
shall be allowed.

SECTION 5. Periodic Assessment of Amounts of Cash
Subsidy. - The amounts indicated in the preceding section shall be
made available to the household-beneficiaries during the first two (2)
years of the implementation of this Act and may thereafter be made
Subject to reasonable adjustments by the President, if necessary, upon
recommendation by the Department, after taking into account the rates
of inflation and similar economic indicators.

SECTION 6. Qualified Household-Beneficiaries. - Household-
Beneficiaries shall belong to the poorest households in the country
selected through a uniform, objective and transparent set of criteria.

SECTION 7. Conditions for Entitlement of Cash Subsidy. - To
avail of the Conditional Cash Subsidy, the individual beneficiary/ies
or the paren/s or guardian/s, in case of a child, must meet specific
conditionalities, namely:

a. Pregnant women must get a pre- and post natal
care and be attended by a skilled or trained health care
professional during childbirth;

b. Parents or guardians must attend responsible
parenthood sessions, mother’s classes and parent
effectiveness seminars;

c. Children 0 to 5 years old must receive regular
preventive health check-ups;

d. Children 3 to 5 years old must attend day care or
pre-school classes at least 85% of the time;

e. Children 6 to 14 years old must enroll in the
elementary or high school and attend at least 85% of the
time;

f. Children 6 to 14 years old must avail of de-
worming pills at least every five months; and,


g. Household-beneficiary shall join and complete
at least two (2) recognized government-sponsored
livelihood training programs.

SECTION 8. Consequences for Non-Compliance with
Conditionalities. - A reported household-beneficiary which fails to
comply with the conditionalities set forth in the preceding, section
shall at first be notified in writing directed to the person legally
responsible for the family.

If despite due notice, the responsible person continues in his/her
non-compliance, the benefits under this Act may be suspended.

Should the person so notified persist in his or her failure to so
comply as directed, the cash subsidy shall finally be canceled after
one-year of non-compliance.

SECTION 9. Mode of Cash Transfer. - The Conditional Cash
Subsidy shall be released quarterly and shall be received by the most
responsible person of the household-beneficiary or any of his/her duly
authorized representative through the Land Bank Cash Card.

Should transfer through the Cash Card be not feasible, an
alternative mode of transfer shall be effected such as over the counter
transactions through the nearest Land Bank branch or off-site
payments through the authorized rural bank.

SECTION 10. Five-Year Maximum Limit for Receipt of
Conditional Cash Subsidy. - Each household-beneficiary shall receive
the Conditional Cash Subsidy for a maximum period of five (5) years.

SECTION 11. Method for Selecting Household-Beneficiary. -
Household-beneficiaries shall be identified and screened by utilizing
the multidimensional indicators such as the Proxy Mean Testing or
other more appropriate, effective and cost efficient method that may
be devised for the purpose.

SECTION 12. Lead Agency - The Department shall serve as
the central planning, coordinating, implementing and monitoring
body.

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


a, Identify and select the target household-
beneficiaries on the basis of a uniform, objective and
transparent selection process;

b. Conduct seminar-workshops and training
programs in order to ensure household-beneficiary
awareness of the conditionalities and other actions
pertinent to this Act;

c. Coordinate with different national and local
agencies, including organizations from the private sector
to ensure full implementation of statutory commitments
herein;

d. Set up monitoring and evaluation systems and
methodologies on compliance of conditionalities,
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 once a month
using the monitoring and evaluation systems designed for

the purpose;

e. Conduct periodic studies concerning the
strengthening of conditionalities monitoring, fine-tuning
of targeting, expansion of coverage, oversight and
controls;

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

g. Maintain and update objective poverty maps and
registry of target household-beneficiaries which will be
checked and cross-checked periodically for duplications
and/or inaccurate or erroneous informatio:

h. Formulate implementing rules and guidelines
for the enforcement of this Act;

i. Submit an annual report to Congress including,
but not limited to, all aspects of its operations, financial
status and other relevant data; and,

j. Perform such other functions as may be
necessary and/or incidental to the proper enforcement of
the statutory commitments under this Act.


SECTION 13. Advisory Council. - There shall be created an
Advisory Council at the municipal, regional and national levels to be
composed of representatives from the Department of Education,
Department of Health, Department of Interior and Local Government,
National Anti-Poverty Commission, and the Local Government Unit
concerned. The Advisory Council is principally tasked to cooperate
and coordinate with the Department in the monitoring and assessment
of actions and activities relative to the implementation process.

SECTION 14. Independent Monitoring Committee. - There
shall be created an Independent Monitoring Committee at the
municipal, regional and national level, composed of representatives
from the private sector.

‘The Independent Monitoring Committee shall have the primary
function of complementing the monitoring activities of the
Department, providing feedback thereto for proper action.

SECTION 15. Grievance Commitiee. - There shall likewise be
created a Grievance Committee in the municipal, regional and
national levels composed of representatives from the Department,
Department of Education, Department of Health, Department of
Interior and Local Government, National Anti-Poverty Commission,
and the Local Government Unit concerned with the principal task of
accepting complaints and grievances that may arise within their
respective territorial jurisdictions, conducting investigation in specific
cases and disposing case/s filed in connection thereto.

SECTION 16. Annual Appropriations. - The funds herefor
shall be included in the yearly budget allocation of the Department as
provided for under the General Appropriations Act.

SECTION 17. Penalty. - Any person, public or private,
whether 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 inserted in the registry, with the
view of altering the fact, or aiding in the grant of person other than the
intended beneficiary, shall be held liable civilly, criminally and
administratively.

Without prejudice to penal sanctions, the beneficiary who
fraudulently uses the benefit shall be obliged to effect reimbursement
of the amount received with interest of one (1%) percent every month.


SECTION 18. Separability Clause. - If any section or
provision of this Act is held unconstitutional or invalid, the validity of
other sections herein shall not be affected.

SECTION 19. Efectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen
(15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two
(2) newspapers of general circulation.

APPROVED.