Eastern Visayas Media Without Borders
by Miriam G.Desacada
Tacloban City–House Minority Leader Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan is urging his fellow lawmakers to expedite the passage of a bill increasing the cash grants for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to support low-income families struggling with soaring living costs.
“We need to strengthen the 4Ps so that it can truly help families break free from poverty. With inflation steadily driving up the cost of food and other essentials, the current cash grants have become too small to make a meaningful difference in the daily lives of poor households,” Libanan said.
“The existing amounts are no longer sufficient for beneficiaries to meet basic education, health, and nutrition needs,” Libanan added.
The Minority Leader, along with fellow 4Ps Party-list Rep. JC Abalos, has been advocating the passage of House Bill No. 120, which seeks to adjust the cash grants to more realistic levels amid the rising cost of food and other basic necessities.
Under the bill:
The grant per child enrolled in daycare and elementary will be increased to at least P500 per month per child for a maximum of 10 months per year, up from at least P300 per month.
·The grant per child enrolled in junior high school will be raised to at least P700 per month per child for a maximum of 10 months per year, up from at least P500 per month.
·The grant per child enrolled in senior high school will go up to at least P900 per month per child for a maximum of 10 months per year, up from at least P700 per month.
·The health grant will be increased to at least P1,800 per month for a maximum of 12 months per year, up from at least P750 per month.
·A new “food and nutrition” grant of at least P600 per month for a maximum of 12 months per year will also be provided.
The bill seeks to amend Republic Act No. 11310, the 2019 law that institutionalized the 4Ps as a permanent social protection and human capital development program.
The program provides cash aid to poor households, subject to their compliance with requirements, such as sending their children to school, visiting health centers for check-ups, and attending family development sessions.
The 4Ps has been allotted ₱113 billion under the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP).
The allocation will fund cash grants, rice subsidies, and enhanced support services intervention grants for qualified beneficiaries, including the extra cash aid for households who have pregnant women or infants under 24 months old.
In his 2026 Budget Message to Congress, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. highlighted the vital role of the 4Ps, stating: “As the government’s banner program for reducing poverty and investing in human capital, the ₱113 billion allocation for 4Ps will provide various forms of financial and social assistance to improve the quality of life of 4.4 million marginalized household beneficiaries.”
In his fourth State of the Nation Address last July, the President reported that more than five million households have received 4Ps cash grants since he took office, with 1.5 million families “graduating” from poverty within three years.
