HOUSE OF REPRESENT ATG
RECEIVED
Date: 30 JUN 2018

Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

366 *

REGISTRATION UNIT
BILLS AND INDEX SERVICE

HOUSE BILL NO. ___

Introduced by Representative FEROINAND L. HERNANDEZ

AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE PANTAWID PAMILYANG PILIPINO PROGRAM
(4Ps) TO REDUCE POVERTY AND PROMOTE HUMAN CAPITAL

DEVELOPMENT AND PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The unrelenting effort of poverty alleviation initiative by the governme:
should be carried on. Currently, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is
being carried out nationwide covering more than four (4) million househoids in
2015. It is aimed at eradicating extreme poverty by investing in heaith and
education of the Filipino family. Basically, the 4Ps has dual objective, first 1 to
provide social assistance by giving monetary support to extremely poor families
to respond to their immediate needs and second to offer social development by
breaking the generational poverty cycle by investing in education ang heaith ot
the chosen family beneficiaries.

It cannot be denied that the benefits of the initial implementation of the
program has kicked-off. According to a study by the World Bank®, the resuits of 4
benefit incidence analysis for the Philippine CCT program using recent national
household survey data showed improvement in overall weltare of the
beneficiaries on the short term and a positive impact on the poverty gap of the
beneficiaries.

In order to sustain the projected benefits of the program, it is proposed to
establish a mechanism for its full implementation and provide for system that
will ensure pro-active monitoring.

Passage of this bill is therefore earnestly sought

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FERDINAND U. HERNANDEZ

+ hetp://documents.worldbank.org/ “Sa Pantawid, Malapit nang Makatawid!” (With Pantawid, we are closer to getting oxt
(of poverty!) An Update of the Philippine Conditional Cash Transfer’ Implementation Performance Pablo Arel Acosta wt
Rashiel Velarde


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Republic of the Philippines i
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. __ 366

Introduced by Representative FERDINAND L. HERNANDEZ

AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING THE PANTAWID PAMILYANG PILIPINO
PROGRAM (4Ps) TO REDUCE POVERTY AND PROMOTE HUMAN
CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT 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 shali be known as the “Pantawid
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. The State further recognizes its obligation to promote a just
and dynamic social order that will ensure the prospenty 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 jife for all. The State
furthermore recognizes the need to protect the poor; thus, the State
hereby declares it a policy to:

(a) Provide assistance to the Poor to alleviate their immediate
needs;


(b) Break the intergenerational cycle of poverty through
investment in human capital and improved delivery of
basic services to the poor, particularly education, health

and nutrition;

(c) Promote gender equality and empowerment of wom
(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 Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps);

(c) Conditional cash grant refers to the amount being
received by the qualified household-beneficiaries who comply
with the conditions for entitiement;

(d) Extremely 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;

(e) Grantee refers to the most responsible adult member of
the qualified household-beneficiary authorized to receive the
conditional cash transfer;


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(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, rura
health unit or primary hospital;

(h) Health service providers refer to barangay heaith
workers, barangay nutrition scholars and midwives;

(i) Poor refers to households whose income fails 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;

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

(k) Program refers to the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino
Program (4Ps) which is the national poverty reduction
strategy that provides conditional cash transfer to poor
households to improve their health, nutrition and education,
(1) Qualified household-beneficiaries refer to househoids
identified by the DSWD for entitlement of the monthly
conditional cash grant;

(m) Responsible person refers to the parent or guardian in
the qualified household-beneficiary; and

(n) Standardized Targeting System refers to a system for
identifying who and where the poor households are through
the generation of socioeconomic database of poor households
that is adopted by national government agencies and
implemented by the DSWD.


SEC. 4. Selection of Qualified Household-Beneficiaries. - On a
nationwide basis, the DSWD shail select qualified househotd-beneficiaries
using a standardized targeting system. The DSWO shall conduct a

revalidation of targeting of beneficiaries every three (3) years

SEC. 5. Local Verification Committee. ~ A Local Verification Committee

shall be created in every municipality or city composed o

government unit representatives, an accredited heaith-serv
from the barangay, a representative of an accredited civil society
organization, and the school head as designated by the Department of
Education (DepED).

The Committee shall be tasked to ensure that the initial list of
beneficiaries satisfies the eligibility requirements set forth under this Act.

SEC. 6. Conditional Cash Transfer. - Subject to certain conditions,
each qualified 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 qualified househoid-beneficiary per year.

A maximum of three (3) children per qualified household-beneficiary shall
be given 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 schoo! 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


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thousand pesos (P7,000.00) per a ten (10)-month school

year.

A supplementary education grant of three hundred pe:
per month shall be given to the child in elementary or nigh

has maintained passing grades in all subjects after the sec
availment of the Program.

hoid-

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SEC. 7. Conditions for Entitlement. - Ali qualified ni.
beneficiaries shall comply with the following 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;

(c) Children three (3) to five (5) years old must attend day
care or preschool classes 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;

(e) 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;

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

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

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

(i) At least one (1) responsible person must plant trees

surroundings; and
(Gj) At least one (1) responsible person must assist, heip or

respective

participate in bayanihan projects in th
barangay or municipality.

SEC. 8. Noncompliance with Conditions. - The responsible person of
a reported qualified household-beneficiary who fails to comply with the
conditions set forth in Section 7 of this Act shall at first be notified in
writing. After four (4) months of noncompliance, the household-
beneficiary shall be subject to case management. If, despite the case
management, the qualified household-beneficiary continues with
noncompliance, the benefits under this Act may be suspended, Should
the qualified 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. 9. Mode of Cash Transfer. - The conditional cash transfer shal! be
made by the DSWD. The conditional cash grant shall be received by the
grantee or any of the grantee’s duly authorized representative on a
bimonthly basis through an authorized government depository bank duly
identified by the DSWD, using different appropriate payment modes,
including cash card, over-the-counter transaction, money remittance
services, conduit rural banks, and cooperatives.

SEC. 10. Periodic Assessment. — The amounts indicated in Section 6 of
this Act shall be made available to the qualified household-beneficiaries
during the first two (2) years of the implementation of this Act and
reasonable adjustments may thereafter be made by the President, if


necessary, upon recommendation by the DSWD, after taking into account
the rates of inflation and similar economic indicators.

The grant rates may be adjusted by the DSWO if warranted by tne

e OSWD

changes in the socioeconomic conditions existing at the

ve impact

all ensure that the grant rates are sufficient to make a po

on the health, nutrition and education of grantees: Provided, That the

DSWD shall ensure that the grant will not serve as disincentive for family
members to work and improve their economic conditions.
SEC. 11. Loan Assistance. - Responsible persons who successfully

completed the entrepreneurship or livelihood programs req

Section 7 of this Act may be given loan assistance as their initial capital
by the appropriate government agency that will impiement reievant

programs pursuant to Section 16 of this Act.

SEC. 12. Five (5)-Year Maximum Limit. - Each qualified household-
beneficiary shall receive the conditional cash grant for 2 maximum period
of five (5) years. :

SEC. 13. 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 an appropriate, effective and cost-efficient
method devised for the purpose of identifying and selecting
qualified household-beneficiaries;
(b) Identify and select the target household-beneficiaries on
the basis of a uniform, objective and transparent selection
process;
(c) Conduct seminar-workshops and training programs in
order to ensure qualified household-beneficiary awareness
of the conditions and other actions pertinent to this Act;


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

(e) Set up monitoring and evaluation systems and

methodologies on compliance _—of tions
implementation of operations, and output and impact
assessments. It shall also coordinate with the advisory and

onal and

monitoring committees at the national, +

municipal levels to verify compliance 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 under this Act;

(9) Coordinate with different national and local agencies to
maintain and update objective poverty maps which will be
checked and cross-checked periodically for duplications
and inaccurate or erroneous information;

(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 or
incidental to the proper implementation of the provisions of
this Act.

SEC. 14. Advisory Council. - An Advisory Council shall be created at
the municipal, regional and national levels to be headed by the DSWD and
may be composed of representatives from the DepED, Technical
Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Health,
Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, Department of the Interior and
Local Government, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of

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Labor and Employment, National Anti-Poverty Commission, the
Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP), the local government

unit concerned, and accredited NGOs, as members.

The Advisory Council is principally tasked to monitor and assess

actions and activities relative to the implementation of the Program.
shall also serve as a Grievance Committee tasked to accept complaints
and grievances that may arise within their respective territorial
jurisdictions, conduct investigation in specific cases and dispose cases
filed in connection thereto, using the Grievance Redress System

SEC. 15. Independent Monitoring Committee. - An Independent
Monitoring Committee at the municipal, regional and national jevel
composed of representatives from the private sector and civil society
organizations shall be created. The Independent Monitoring Committee is
principally tasked to complement the monitoring activities of the DSWO
and provide feedback thereto for proper action. It shall submit a report on
the results of its monitoring activities relative to the implementation of
the Program to the Advisory Council. :

SEC. 16. Convergence of Programs and Services. - To ensure that
the targeted household-beneficiaries remain nonpoor after the prescribed
maximum limit for receipt of the conditional cash grant, multi-stakeholder
and interagency convergence of programs and services shall be
implemented. This shall focus on the enhancement of operational
efficiency and strengthening of interagency partnerships for greater
impact and sustainability of outcomes.

SEC. 17. Appropriations. ~ The amount necessary to carry out the
provisions of this Act shall be charged against those authorized in the
current and subsequent General Appropriations Acts. The appropriation
shall continue until the Program has covered sixty percent (60%) of the

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total number of extremely poor families in the Philippines, as may be
determined by the Philippine Statistics Authority at the time of the
enactment of this Act. The appropriation shall be included in the annual
appropriation of the DSWD.

SEC. 18. Penalty. — Any person, public or private, whether or not act

in conspiracy with public officials, who, by act or omission, inserts o

allows the insertion of data or false information, or who diverts from what

ought to be contained in the registry, with the view of altering t
aiding in the grant of the money to persons other than the qualified
household-beneficiaries, 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. 19. Joint Congressional Oversight Committee. ~ Upon the
effectivity of this Act, a congressional oversight committee, hereafter to
be referred to as the 4Ps Committee, is hereby constituted. The 4Ps
Committee shall be composed of fourteen (14) members with the
chairpersons of the Committee on Poverty Alleviation of the House of
Representatives, and the Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural
Development of the Senate and six (6) additional members from each
House, to be designated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives
and the Senate President, respectively. This Committee is principally
tasked to set the overall framework to monitor and ensure the proper
implementation of this Act. It shall likewise determine inherent
weaknesses in the law and recommend necessary remedial legislation or
executive measures.

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SEC. 20. 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
ent

departments and agencies, with the participation of the local go
units, promulgate the necessary rules and regulations to carry out the

provisions of this Act.

SEC. 21. Separability Clause. - If any part or provision of this Act is
held unconstitutional or invalid, the remaining parts or provisions not

affected shall remain in full force and effect.

SEC. 22. Repealing Clause. - Any aw, presidential decree or issuance,
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or
regulation contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is
hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly.

SEC. 23. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after
its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general
circulation.

Approved,

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