Hos OF REPRESENTATIVES

RECEIVED
12 JUL 2018

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
First Regular Session }

DA
TN

BY:

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

RESISTRATION UNIT
-BILLS. ANI INDEX SERVICE

Introduced by Representative Raul C. Tupas

EXPLANATORY NOTE

AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING A CONDITIONAL CASH TRANSFER PROGRAM,
RPOVIDING MECHANISMS FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES

Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is the government's primary
poverty alleviation program that provides conditional cash grants to the poorest
households, subject to the fulfilment of responsibility of keeping their children healthy
and in school thus investing in their future. This gives them the opportunity to break
away from the cycle of intergenerational poverty, while providing them much needed
financial support.

Towards meeting the target to cover 5.2 million eligible poor households listed
in the national Housing Targeting System (NHTS-PR) undertaken in 2009, the
program increased its coverage annually from 786,523 poor households as of June
30, 2010 to 4.4. million poor and indigenous households and street families with 0 to
18 years old children as of June 24, 2015.1

For the past six years, the government infused and invested budgetary
resources to the 4Ps as part of its intensified social protection program. Substantial
gains have already been achieved as reflected in the 2014 Impact Evaluation results,
which revealed significant differences between the status of Pantawid Pamilya and
non-Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries in health and education.?

If this is sustained, and expanded, the country may be headed to the
implementation of a program that will move families from the poorer classes into the
middle class.

" The Office of the President, The 2015 State of the Nation Address Technical Report p. 62

* Conducted by a research team headed by Dr. Aniceto Orbeta, Jr., the study covered a nationally
representative sample of 5,041 households from 30 municipalities 910 each in Luzon, Visayas, and
Mindanao) in 26 provinces which were registered under the 4Ps between 2008 and 2011 and have thus
been exposed to the program for two to four years at the time of data collection from October to
December 2013. The study compared poor (eligible) and near poor (not eligible) households, which are
considered to have similar characteristics.



Recognizing the significant results of the 4Ps and the possibility that it may be
the subject of discontinuance by future administrations due to differences in priorities
and budgetary constraints, this bill secures the continued implementation of the 4Ps,
by strengthening and defining the mechanisms for the grant of conditional cash
transfer by the government, and institutionalizing the program and its funding in the
General Appropriations Act.

In viewing of the foregoing, the passage of this measure is earnestly sought.

Mpa,

RAUL C. TUPAS


CoVaounaune

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
First Regular Session )
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
H. No. $429

Introduced by Representative Raul C. Tupas

AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING A CONDITIONAL CASH TRANSFER PROGRAM,
PROVIDING MECHANISMS FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES

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

SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino
Program Act of 2016”.

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is the declared policy of the State to:

a. promote the development of human capital among Filipino families, especially
‘on young children;

b. Implement appropriate social protection systems and measures for all and
achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable;

c. End all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally
agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and
address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating
women;

d. Ensure significant mobilization of resources to implement programmes and
policies to end poverty in all its dimensions necessary to break the
intergenerational cycle of poverty among poor households caused by low
schooling and high malnutrition rate must be set institutionalized,

SECTION 3. Objectives. -Pursuant to the government's commitment to empower the
poor and marginalized towards self-reliance, this Act aims to:

a. Improve availment of health care by pregnant women and young children;

b. Increase enrolment and/or attendance of children in elementary and secondary
levels;


Car anneune

1
12
13
4
15
16
7
18

20
2a
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43

45,
46
a7

c. Reduce incidence of child labor;
d.’ Improve maternal health;

e. Encourage parents to prioritize spending for basic family needs and invest their
own and their children’s future, and

f. Encourage parents; participation in the growth and development of young
children, as well as involvement in the community.

SECTION 4. Eligible Beneficiaries. -To be eligible for the cash grants, households
must meet the following criteria:

a. Belong to the extremely poor household classification as defined by the poverty
threshold of the municipality/province based on the issuance of the National
Statistical and Coordination Board (NSCB) at the time of selection;

b. Have members who are aged 0 to 18 years old; or member who is pregnant at
the time of registration into the program;

Once eligible beneficiaries are defined, the beneficiary households are selected
through the use of the Proxy Means Test (PMT) from the information gathered in a
Household Survey Assessment Tool to be conducted by the Department of Social
Welfare and Development (DSWD).

A Mediation Committee composed of representatives of a Local Government Unit
(LGU) concerned and the DSWD will be set up in the event of disputes on the
inclusion or exclusion of eligible household on the list of beneficiaries.

SECTION 5. Program Grants. -Selected beneficiary household should receive cash
grants for at least one of two components: health/nutrition and/or education.

a. Health/nutrition is given to promote healthy practices and family development,
improve the nutritional status of young children, and increase the availment of
health services by the beneficiary household. The grant is a fixed amount and
does not depend on the number of members in the household.

b, Education grant component is given to a maximum of three children in the
beneficiary household, aged 3 to 18 years old: Provided, if the child is already
above 18 years old but is enrolled in or still wishes to continue his/her
elementary or secondary education, he/she shall be provided with the
education grant until senior high school is completed.

The amolnts for each component shall be determined by the DSWD, in consultation
with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), taking into account the
current needs for health and education: Provided, that every three (3) years after the
effectivity of this Act, the cash grant shall be reviewed and adjusted to its present


COVA eWKe

see
2
13
14
15
16
7
18
19
20
2
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43

45

47

value using the Consumer Price Index, as determined by the Philippine Statistical
Authority.

The grants shall be released on a quarterly basis to the beneficiary households for the
duration of their participation in the program: Provided, compliance with the Program
conditionalities provided under Section 6 of this Act are maintained.

SECTION 6. Program Conditionalities. Beneficiary households must comply with
specific health and education conditionalities in order to continue receiving the cash
grants provided in Section 5 of this Act.

To continue availing of the grants the following requirements must be met:

a. Children who receive education grants must be enrolled in a day
care/preschool program, elementary or secondary school and maintain a class
attendance rate of 85 percent per month;

b. Children aged 0 to 14 years old must visit health centers to avail of health
services prescribed by the Department of Health (DOH) such as immunization,
weight monitoring, nutrition counselling, and childhood diseases management
services;

c. Children aged 6 years old above must take de-worming pills twice a year at
schools.;

d. Pregnant women must attend at least one pre-natal consultation each trimester
during the pregnancy and delivery must be assisted by skilled health
personnel;

e. All household grantees must attend Family Development Sessions (FDS) at
least once a month, and parents render twelve hours of community service
each month.

SECTION 7. Forfeiture of Grant. -Termination in the payment of cash grants will be
upon the following instances:

a. A beneficiary household no longer meets the eligibility criteria a provided in
Section 4 of this Act;

b. Non-compliance with the conditions set forth in Section 6 of this Act;

if a beneficiary household is found to be non-compliant with the conditionalities in a
particular month, the cash grant will not be paid for that month. However, third offense
of non-compliance will result in termination of payments and temporary suspension
from the program.

SECTION 8. Additional Prohibition. - Pawning of the ATM card (by which the cash
grants are received) by a beneficiary to another individual is prohibited. Upon


COVHOH AWOKE

Owe PORN UNDE PNUNNREE RP eee eee
SRRSBRASBEUVRARBSRSSRIRHREBERES

verification, the DSWD shall stop payment of cash grants for the quarter that the ATM
card was pawned.

SECTION 9. Program Monitoring and Evaluation.-The DSWD, together with the
DOH and Department of Education (DepEd), shall conduct a periodic impact
evaluation study to assess the overall effectiveness of the program in meeting its
health and education objectives, identify abuses, and address leakages to further
improve the delivery of the program. The Secretary of DSWD shall furnish a copy of
the results of the study to Congress.

SECTION 10. Grievance Redress System. -The DSWD shall develop a Grievance
Redress System to address complaints regarding the implementation of the program.

SECTION 11. Appropriations. -The funds necessary for the full implementation of
this Act shall be annually appropriated in the budget of the DSWD under the General
Appropriations Act (GAA)

SECTION 12. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - DSWD shall serve as the
lead implementing agency of the program. In consultation with the Department of
Health (DOH), Department of Education (DepEd), and Department of Interior and
Local Government (DILG), it shall, within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this
Act, formulate and promulgate the rules and regulations which shall guide the
program's implementation and carry out the provisions of this Act. -

SECTION 13. Separability Clause. -if any reason, any provision of this Act or any
part thereof shall be held unconstitutional and invalid, the other parts of provision of
this Act, which are not affected thereby, shall remain in full force and effect.

SECTION 14. Repealing Clause. —All laws decrees, resolutions, orders or ordinances
or parts thereof inconsistent with this Act, are hereby repealed, amended or modified
accordingly.

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

Approved,