Cash transfer program brings hope in calamity-stricken Albay

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines – Four words, one phrase bearing hope.

Since Jan. 14, Albay is the first province to be fully covered by the government’s conditional cash transfer (CCT) through the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to achieve one of the UN’s millennium development goals (MDGs).

There are currently 11,869 families benefiting from the 4Ps in Albay’s 15 towns and three cities. Each family receives P1,400 a month released every three months, as an added allowance from the government to support their families. The program enables families to have decent shelter and put food on their tables, afford necessary vaccinations and send their children to school, reminding them that hope exists and that a brighter future is ahead.

“We already received a total of P17,800 in two releases (six months) by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The amount helps our family a lot. My children are also more inspired than ever, since they can now study with a complete set of school things,” Antonio Roxas, a father of five school-aged children in Legazpi City, told The STAR.

It is no wonder then that the 4Ps and the phrase “Nag 4Ps Ka Na?” are so popular and have become a byword, not just a simple slogan. The phrase is now part of regular conversations, bearing a ring of not only hope but also pride.

Although The STAR got varied opinions from the beneficiaries across Albay, most of them felt more reassured by the cash support from the government.

Genny Arnaldo, a mother of three school-aged children said, “This is the first time that I am handed such an amount of money, all at once. I don’t really know how to feel about this, but our family feels so privileged and grateful to receive such cash subsidy from the government.”

Gov. Joey Salceda, who fought for the full coverage of 4Ps in Albay, especially for the poor families of Camalig, Oas, Guinobatan and Tiwi, said, “This actually constitutes the biggest and the more socio-economically beneficial relief to our province in this period of economic stress.”

The economist governor’s next goal is “the expansion of the current coverage of 11,869 to 92,800 4Ps beneficiaries.”

The program is based on a similar one in Brazil that gives regular cash subsidies to poor families.