SIXTEENTII CONGIU:SS OF TIlE REPUBLIC) 
OF TilE "IIILlI'PINES 
) 
Third Regular Session 
) 
SI~NATE 
Senate Bill No..2.a_fi.D 
Introduced by Senator Tcofisto "TG" Gllingonll III 
AN ACT TO REDUCE POVERTY AND PROMOTE HUMAN CAPITAL 
DEVELOPMENT 13Y INSTITUTIONALIZING 
A CONDITIONAL CASI I TRANSFER PROGRAM 
EXPI,ANATORY NOTE 
SEP 
While the adverse effects of the recent economic downturn in the Philippines 
appeared milder than that of the Asian JinanciaJ crisis in the latc 90s, it should he 
emphasized that even when there is no global Of regional crisis, households, 
especially the poor ones, arc subject to risks and shocks of various kinds For example, 
in a non-crisis year like 2004, 54 percent of Filipino households were worse of!' 
because of the higher price of food, 19 percent because of reduced income; 8 percent 
because of job loss; and 3 percent because of natural disasters (Annnal Poverty 
Indicator Survey, 2004). 
With the looming threat of the adverse effects of climate change governments are 
called to strengthen their social protection and safety nct programs. Taking such 
action is also a way to make growth inclusive since, in general, social protection 
programs cushion households tl'om shocks, help minimize disruptions to income and 
prevent adverse coping behaviors that tend to erode human capital and perpetuate 
poverty. Sans the appropriate safety nets, households attempt to stay afloat amid a 
crisis by increasing working hours, changing eating patterns and reducing spending 
on education and health, which can lead to greater destitution in the long mn (World 
Bank, 2(10), 
By estimates, about 45 percent of Filipinos are vulnerable to jailing into poverty if 
contl'onted by shocks slIch as health problems and deat hs, loss of employment, natural 
disasters and increasing food prices. Since pOvet1y reduction has been the battle cry of 
most of previolls administrations, the Philippines is never short of poverty alleviation 
etl{,rts, which include social protection and safety net programs. However, it was 
l(}und out that the Philippines has beon ineiTectivc in preventing poverty increases 
during recessions or calamities primarily due to inadequate targeting, uncoordinated 
and fhgmcl1tcd provision of social protection services, and unsound policies. 
With the country's high levels of chronic poverty, experts emphasized the urgent need 
lor a social protection program that will provide cash transfers to address the 
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immediate needs of the chronically poor Moreover, thc social protection program 
should also provide adequate incentive for hOllsehokb to invest morc in the education 
and health of their children because that is the only way they would be able to escape 
t he poverty trap 
Of the programs assessed by Proi'. Rosario Manasan (200')), the 41's was l\;ulld to 
hold much promise ill effectively addressing the chronic needs oCthe poor. Manas!1I1's 
findings arc cOllsistent with the impressive outcomes of CeT programs such as 
Oportunidadcs in Mexico, Bolsa [scola and linlsa Familia in Brazil, Red de 
Protcccion Social in Nicaragua, Programa de Asistencia Familiar in Ilonduras, 
I'rogram of Advanccment through Ilealth and Education in Jamaica, Foo<i-j()r-
Education in Bangladesh and Subsidio Unico Familiar in Chile (de '!anvry and 
Sadoulet, 2006), Following the success stories in Latin America, eCT programs arc 
now regarded as a leading-edge social policy too! because of their ability to influence 
both the income of the poor in the short !'lin and to improve their human capabilities 
in the medium and long run, The said programs have also been lauded for thcir ability 
to target the poor and easily integrate different typcs of social services such as 
educatioll, health, and nutrition; and for their cost effectiveness (Son, 20(8). 
Despite the promising resufts, the eeT program in the Philippines known <IS the 
Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (41)8) may be subject to discontinuance by 
future administrations due to differences in priorities and budgetary constraints 
caused by the increasing number of targeted program beneficiaries, 
This bill thcrefllre, secures the continued implementatioll of the CCT by 
institutiollalizing the program and its flll1ding in the General Appropriations Act 
In view of the foregoing, passage of this Im~asure is earnestly sought. 
, "Guingonll III 
Senator 


SIXTEI<:NTII CONGRESS OF TilE REI'lI11LlC) 
OF TilE 1)IJlLII)I'IN~;S 
) 
Third Regular Session 
) 
SI';NATE 
Senate Bill No. 
2960 
Introduced by St~nall)l' Tt~olisto "TG" GlIingollll III 
AN ACT TO REDUCE POVERTY AND PROMOTE HUMAN CAPITAL 
DEVELOPMENT BY INSTITUTIONALIZING 
A CONDITIONAL CASH TRANSFER PROGRAM 
He it cnacted hy the SCIILlle alld House of RepreselllLltives I!f the j'hijippilles ill 
('OIl!(I'eSS asselllhled: 
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SECTION I. Title. - This Act shall be known as the "!'antawid Pamilyang Pilipino 
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Program Act of2015" 
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SI~C. 2. Ueclamtioll of Polky. - It is the declared policy of the State to promote the 
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development of human capital among Filipino families. especially Oil young childrell. 
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Towards this cnd. interventions necessary to break the intergenerational cycle of 
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poverty among poor households caused by low schooling and high malnutrition rate 
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must be sct ill place. 
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S~;C. 3. Objectives .• Pursuant to the government's commitment to promote inclusive 
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growth and provide social assistance and development to its citizens, this Act aims to: 
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a. 
Improve preventive health care of pregnant women and young children; 
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b. 
Increase enrollment and/or attendance ofchildrcn in elementary and secondary 
levels; 
c. 
Reduce incidence of chi lei labor, 
d. 
Improve maternal health; 
e. 
Encourage parents to invest in their own and their children's future. and 
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Fncouragc parents' participation in the growth and development of young 
children, as well a, involvement in the community. 
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SEC. 4. Eligihle Bcnef'ifial"ies - To be eligible for the cash grants, households must 
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meet the following criteria. 
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a. 
Belong to the extremely poor household classitication as defined by the 
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poverty threshold of the municipality/province based on the issuance of the 
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National Statistical and Coordination Board (NSCB) at the time or selection; 
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B 
b. I {ave members who arc aged () to 18 years old; or a member who is pregnant 
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at the time oCregistration into the program; 
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Once eligibk, beneficiaries are dclincd, the beneficiary households arc selected 
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through the usc or the Proxy Means Test (PMT) frOIl! the informatioll gathered in a 
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Household Survey Assessment Tool to be conducted by the Department of Social 
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Welfare and Development (DSWD) 
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A Mediation Committee composed of representatives of a Local Government "Unit 
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(LOU) concerned and the DSWD will be set up in the event of disputes on the 
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inclusion or exclusion of eligible houschold on the list of bcncfkiarics. 
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SIGC. 5. I)"ogl'alll Grants. - Selected beneficiary households shall receive cash grants 
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for at least one of two components: health/nutrition and/or educntion 
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The health/nutrition grant component aims to promote healthy practices and family 
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development, improve the nutritional status of yo ling children, and increase the use of 
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health services by the bcneficiary household. The health grant is a flxed amount and 
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does not depend on the Ilumber of members in the household. 
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The education grant component is given to a maximum of three children ill the 
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heneilciary household, aged :I to 18 years old. In the event that the child is already 
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above 18 years old but is enrolled in or still wishes to continue his/her elementary or 
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secondary education, he/she shall be provided with the education grant ulltil senior 
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high school is completed. 
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The amounts tor each component shall be determined by the DSWD, in consultation 
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with the Departmollt of Budget and Management (DBM), taking into account the 
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current needs for health and education. 
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3B 
These grants are to be released on a quarterly basis to the beneficiary households for 
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the duration of their participation in the program, subject to their compliance with the 
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program conditionalities provided under Section 6 of t his Act. 
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SEC. 6. ')l'ognHII Conditionalities. 
Benefkiary households must comply with 
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specinc health and education conditionalities in order to continue receiving the cash 
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grants provided in Section 5 ()fthis Act. 
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To continlle availing oCthe grants the f()lIowing requirements must be met 
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4B 
a. Children who rcceive education grants must be enrolled in a day care/pre-
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school program, elementary or secondary school and maintain a class 
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attendance rate of 85 percent pcr month; 
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b Children aged 0 to () years old must visit health centers to avail of health 
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services in prescribed by the Department of Ilealth (Doli), 
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c. Children aged (, years old and abovc must take dc-worming pills twice a year 
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at schools. 
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d. Pregnant wOl1lcn must have at least one pre-natal consultation cac.h trimester 
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during the pregnancy and delivery must be assisted by skilled health 
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persollnel; 
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c. 
All household grantcc.s must attend Family Development Sessions (FDS) at 
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least once a month, and parcnls render twelve hours of eotlllllunily service 
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each ll10nth 
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SI~C. 7. ForlHturc or Grant. - The payment of cash grants will be terminated upon 
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the f()lIowing instances' 
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a. A beneliciary household no longer meets the eligibility criteria provided in 
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Section 4 of this Act, 
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b. Non-compliance with the conditions set f,]f'th in Section 6 of this Act. 
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If a benctlciary household is found to be non-compliant with the conditionalities in a 
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particular month, the cash grant wili not be paid fiJI' that month. However, third 
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ot1'ensc of non-compliance will result in terl1lination of payments and temporary 
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suspension trom the program. 
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S~:C. 8. Additional Prohibition. Pawning of the A TM card (by which the cash 
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grants arc received) by a beneficiary to another individual is prohibited. Upon 
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vcril1cation, the DSWD shall stop payment of cash grant for the month that the ATM 
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card was pawned. 
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SEC. 9. Pl'ogl'alll Monitoring and Evallilltion. - The DSWD, together with the 
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DOH und the Department of Education (DepEd), shall conduct a periodic impact 
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evaluation study to assess the overall effectiveness of the program in meeting its 
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health and education objectives, and to address leakages to thrther improve the 
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delivery of the program. The Sc(;retary of DSWD shall furnish a copy of the results of 
:~8 
the study to Congress. 
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S~;C. I O. 
GricvallCl~ Redress Systcm. - The DSWD shall develop a Grievance 
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Redress System that will address complaints regarding the implementatioll of the 
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program. 
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S~;C. II. Allpl'Opriatiolls. - The 1ll1lds necessary for the full implementation of this 
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Act shall be annually appropriated in the budget of the DSWD under the General 
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Appropriations Act (GAA) 
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4B 
SEX:. 12. IlIIplclIIClltillg Rllics alld r~(·g\llatiolls. - The lead implementing agency, 
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DSWD, III consultation with the DOll, DepEd, and Department oflnteriol' and Local 
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Government (DILG), shall, within ninety (90) days tl'Ol11 the effectivity of this Act, 
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tlmnulatc and proilluigate the rulcs and regulations which shall guide the program's 
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implemcntation and carry out the provisions of this Act 
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SEC. 13. S('plll'ability Clause - It: t(Jr any reason, any provision of this Act or any 
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part thereof shall be held unconstitutional and invalid, the other pans or provisions of 
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this I\ct, which arc not aJrected thereby, shall remain in titll J()rce and effect. 
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B 
SEC. 14. l~eJl(,lIlillg CIII1I5(,. - All IHws, decrees, resolutions, orders or ordinances or 
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parts thereof inconsistent with this Act, arc hereby repealed, amended or modiJied 
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accordingly. 
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SEC. 15. l<:I'fectivity Clause. - This Act shall take ence! fifteen (IS) days atter its 
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publicatioll in the Official Gumtle or in at least two (2) newspapers of general 
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circulatioll. 
Approved, 
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