The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is currently working with the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to determine possible adjustments on the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) cash grants to make it more responsive to economic shocks.

“Inflation always hits the bottom 30 the hardest so that is why the President instructed DSWD to work with PSA and NEDA to come up with a right mechanism to protect the value of our grants,” DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian told the members of Malacanang Press Corp in a press briefing on Tuesday (February 20).

The DSWD chief said that through the assistance of PSA and NEDA, the DSWD will be able to check the best price index to use to make sure that the 4Ps grants and its other social protection assistance will be able to cushion the spikes brought about by inflation.

“It is not only about being timely, but it is also being responsive and making sure that it is the right amount,” Secretary Gatchalian said.

Once the price index is settled, the Department is looking into the possibility of creating a proposal to economic managers to amend the provisions of Republic Act No. 11310 or the 4Ps Law to make it more amenable to present socio-economic conditions.

The 4Ps is the national poverty reduction strategy and a human capital investment program of the Philippine government and currently caters to 4.4 million household-beneficiaries nationwide. #