l RECEIVED
10 AUG 2016

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DATE:

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Republic of the Philippines fl
House OF REPRESENTATIVES }
Quezon City, Metto Manila {

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Seventeenth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO.. 2022

Introduced by Honorable Roger G. Mercado

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Pantawid Pampamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) has been
implemented for years now. The Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD) has already seen positive results of the said
program. It is therefore necessary to ensure the continuity of this
program and the only way to provide a mantle for its continuity is to
enact the necessary legislation for it.

In view of the foregoing, passage of this bill is hereby being

earnestly sought.
= .
Mle CA

ROGER G. MERCADO



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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

2772

House Bill No.
Introduced by Representative Roger G. Mercado

AN ACT
INSTITUTING A NATIONWIDE CONDITIONAL CASH TRANSFER PROGRAM OUTLINING ITS
POLICIES, FRAMEWORK, STRUCTURE, PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES

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

Section 1. Short Title. This act shall be known as the “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Act of
2015,”

Section 2. Declaration of Policy, \t is hereby declared policy of the State to ensure that
families who are in most need shall be cared for not only through government programs but
also through the government financial assistance. Likewise, the State shall promote an
atmosphere where the indigent families’ educational and health needs are monitored and
cared for. Furthermore, State shall institute policies that provide adequate social services, a
rising standard of living, and improved quality of life for all pursuant to Article I, Section 9 of

the Constitution.

Section 3. Definition of Terms. As used in this Act, the following terms shall be defined as

follows

a. Child refers to a minor aged 0-18 who belongs to the qualified family beneficiary;


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b. Department refers to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD),

the lead Agency that will implement the program defined in this Act;

c. Family -Beneficiary refers to a family identified by the Department as entitled to
benefit from the Conditional Cash Transfer Program; and

d.Poor refers to families whose income falls under ht poverty threshold defined by the
National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and/or families that cannot affor
to provide the basic human needs of food, health, education, shelter and other

necessary requisites for a descent life.

Section 4. Conditional Cash transfer Program. There is hereby established a Conditional Cash
Transfer Program, hereinafter referred to as Program, under the Department. The said
program shall have to the following objectives.
a. Social Assistance- The Program shall be geared toward alleviating poverty by giving
financial support to extremely poor families to respond to their essential needs.
b.Social Development: The Program shall also aim toward the development and health

of poor children through the condition set in Section 6 of this Act

Section 5. Coverage. The Department, in coordination with the Advisory Council, shall create
and update a list of potential family-beneficiaries through the efforts of its National
Household Targeting Office (NHTO).Eligible family-beneficiaries shali be selected using the
following criteria:
a. Families whose economic condition is equal to or below the provincial poverty
threshold;
b. Families that have children 0-18 years old and/or have a pregnant woman at the
time of assessment;
c. Families from the poorest municipalities in the country as identified by the latest
Smail Area
Estimates (SAE) of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA); Provided, that

municipalities that do not fall under the said category may still be considered in the


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deliberations of the Department and the Advisory Council after giving due priority to.

the poorest municipalities.

The Department, in consultation with the Advisory Council as defined in Section 7 of this Act,
may add to the aforementioned criteria through the Implementing Rules and Regulations of

this Act.

If necessary, a different set of criteria and conditions shall be performed by the Department in
consultation with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) for family-
beneficiaries belonging to indigenous peoples and communities.

‘The National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS_PR) will be subject to

review by the Department every two (2) years after approval of this Act.

Section 6. Lead Agency. The Department shall serve as the lead agency in the planning,
coordinating, and implanting and monitoring the program. It shall have the following

functions:

a. Device and implement an appropriate, effective, and cost-efficient method for
identifying and selecting qualified family beneficiaries;

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

¢. Conduct seminar-workshops and training programs in order to ensure qualified
family beneficiaries.

d. Coordinate with different national local agencies, including civil society, non
government, and private sector organizations, to ensure communication and
partnership, which shall assist in the success of the implementation of the Program.

e. Set up monitoring and evaluation systems and methodologies on compliance of
conditions, implementation of operations and output and impact assessments,

f. Recommend to the Presidents measures and policies for the responsive


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implementation of the commitments under this Act;

g. 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.

j. | awareness of the mplement measures for information and transparency in order to
raise the family-beneficiaries and the general public about the funds used and
activities initiated by the Program ; and

k. Perform such other functions as may be necessary or incidental to this Act.

Section 7. Advisory Council, An Advisory Council shall be created at the municipal, regional
and national levels to be headed by the Anti Poverty Commission (NAPC) and maybe
composed of representatives from the Department of Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Health
Insurance Corporation (Philheaith), Department of the Locai Interior and Local Government
(DILG), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) , Technical Education and Development
Authority (TESDA), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), National Commission on
Indigenous Peoples (NCIP),National youth Commission (NYC), and accredited on-government
organizations, as members. The advisory Council is principally tasked to coordinate with the

Department in the monitoring and assessment of the program.

Section 8. Cash Subsidy. Upon identification by the NHTS-PR of families eligible for the

Program, the Department shall give the following Cash Subsidies:

‘a, Health and Nutrition Subsidy- A minimum of Five Hundred Pesos (PhP500.00) for
each family per month or a total of not less than Six Thousand Pesos (PhP6,000.00)

per year,


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b, Educational Subsidy- A minimum of Three Hundred Pesos (PhP300.00) for every
child every month for ten (10) months or a total of not less than Three Thousand
pesos (PhP300.00) for every child per year, Provided, that each family may only

register a maximum of three (3) children.

Section 9. Compliance of Families. \n order to be eligible for Cash Subsidy, families should

meet the following conditions:

a. Pregnant women must avail pre- and post-natal care, and be Attended during
childbirth by trained professional.

b, Parents or guardians must attend the family development sessions, which include
topics on responsible parenting, health and nutrition;

. Children aged 0-5 years must receive regular preventive health check-ups and
vaccines;

d. Children aged 6-14 years must receive deworming pills twice a year; and

e. Children-beneficiaries aged 3-18 years must enroll in school, and maintain an
attendance at least 85% of class days every month.

f. Children who are enrolled in high school must attend youth development sessions
conducted by the Department in partnership with the National Youth Commission
(NYC).

The Department may add to these conditions through a Memorandum Order. It shall also
create a system to ensure that all families meet these conditions before receiving Cash

Subsidy as contained in Section 8 of this Act.

Section 10. Failure to comply with the Program Conditions. A family- beneficiary that fails to
comply with the conditions of the Program shall be given a warning through a written
notification directed to the head of the family or any responsible person. The Department

must also task any of its personnel connected with the Program to communicate with the


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family-beneficiary concerned in order to determine the reasons for their non-compliance and

if necessary, to explain once again the rationale of the Program.

After receiving the written notice and after Department personnel have communicated with
the family-beneficiary, if non-compliance persists, the benefits under this act may be

suspended

Cancellation of benefits can also be carried out if the notified family- beneficiary continues to

fail comply for a duration of one (1) year.

Section 11. Regular Evaluation of Cash Subsidy Disbursement. The amounts enumerated in
Section 5 of this Act shall be made available to the qualified family-beneficiaries within the
first two (2) years of implementation and may undergo reasonable adjustments as ordered by
the President upon the recommendation of the Advisory Council in accordance to inflation

rates and other economic indicators.

Section 12. Report of the Program. The Department shail annually, publish a full report of the
Program for the previous fiscal year. The said report shall include financial disclosures,
number of families included in the Program, and a recommendations to the President of the
Philippines and Congress on how to further enhance the Program. The President and both
House of representatives shall be furnished copies of thus report annually before budget

deliberations.

Section 13, Program Transparency. The amounts of Cash Subsidy disbursed to family-
beneficiaries shall be organized into a report that will be regularly posted and updated
whenever possible in the Department website and other related online sources, such as the
Open Data Philippines website. Information should also be broken down by geographic areas

and other social, economic and cultural circumstances. Further, a summary of the report


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written in plain English, Filipino, and other major national languages should be included in the

online publication of information.

Section 14. Appropriations. The amount necessary for the Program shall be included in the

annual budget allocation of the Department provided in the General Appropriation Act.

Section 15. Implementing Rules and Regulations. The Department shall create and publish

Implementing Rules and Regulations with in the ninety (90) days of approval of this Act.

Section 16. Separability Clause. \f any provision of this Act is declared invalid or

unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected thereby shall remain valid and subsisting.

Section 17. Repeating Clause. All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, proclamations
and/or administrative regulations, which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are

hereby amended, modified, superseded or repealed accordingly.

Section 18. Effectivity Clause. This act shali take effect fifteen days after its publication in the

Official Gazette or at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.