Perception of the Pantawid Pamilya Beneficiaries on the Attainment of Its Objectives

This chapter discussed the introduction, background of the study, statement of the problem, conceptual framework, theoretical framework, hypothesis, scope and limitation, significance of the study and definition of terms used by the researchers.

Introduction

Poverty has been a problem in the Philippines since time immemorial. Unfortunately, the number of Filipinos suffering from the aforementioned social problem is increasing every year. This is in spite of the poverty alleviation interventions being implemented by the government and numerous civic society groups.

Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s nine-year term saw the birth and growth of one of her foremost anti-poverty programs-the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program- popularly known as the 4Ps. The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program provides cash transfers to poor households, conditional upon investments in child education and health as well as use of maternal health services. The objective of the program is to promote investments in the education and health of children to help break the intergenerational transmission of poverty, while providing immediate financial support to the household. Poor households are identified by the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) based on a transparent poverty targeting mechanism, using a statistical model to estimate income. Households with estimated income below the poverty line are classified as poor. From that database of poor households, Pantawid Pamilya identifies and selects eligible households who have children 0-14 years of age and/or a pregnant woman. These households then receive cash grants every two months ranging from PhP 500 to PhP 1,400 per household per month, depending on the number of eligible children.

Since its launch in 2008, Pantawid Pamilya has been scaled up rapidly and has become the cornerstone of the Government’s social protection efforts. This conditional cash transfer (CCT) program has been an...