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Republic of the Philippines

Department of Social Welfare and Development
IBP Road, Batasan Pambansa Complex, Constitution Hihsl,19ut7;o~e(i),8l126
Telephone Nos. (632) 931-8101 to 07; Telefax (632) 931-8191
e-mail:
Website:

Administrative Order No.

Series of 2008

Subject: Guidelines on the Implementation

of Pantawid

Pamilyang

Pilipino Program(4Ps)
I.

RATIONALE

Conditional Cash Transfer Program in Latin American countries

and the Carribean such as Mexico, Brazil, Honduras, Jamaica and
Nicaragua in the late 1990s shows effectiveness in promoting hi,.Jman
capital
accumulation
among poor households.
There is clear
evidence
of success in increasing enrollment
rates, improving
preventive health care and raising household consumption on nutrient
dense foods. Conditional Cash Transfer program provides cash grant
to poor families to enable them to invest in human capital by sending
their children to school and bringing them to health centers for
preventive health check ups.
The Government of the Philippines, through the leadership of the
Department of Social Welfare and Development was challenged to
replicate or adopt the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program
dubbed as Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program to address key health
and educational
issues and growing incidence
of poverty that
continues to affect the extremely poor Filipino families.
The main goal of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program is to
break the inter-generational cycle of poverty by fostering change in
behavior among parents to invest in their children's (and their own)
future (health, nutrition, education) because low schooling and high
malnutrition rate are strongly associated with poverty cycle in the
Philippines.
To effectively implement the program, a well designed and efficient
program procedures and mechanics are needed to serve as guides to
local implementers. This will help define and delineate roles and
responsibilities of the local
government
implementers,
ensure
availability of the demand-side on health, nutrition, education and
support services for the beneficiaries in order to achieve success in
program implementation.

II. LEGAL BASIS

The implementation
of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program IS In
pursuant to the Millennium Development
Goals addressing the
following:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

Achieve universal primary education
Reduce child mortality
Improve maternal health
Promote gender equality and empower women

The Department as one of the national agencies working

towards the achievement
of the Millennium Development GQals is
committed to implement the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.
Executive Order No. 221 of 2003 Amending EO No. 15, series of
1998, entitled "Redirecting the Functions and Operations of the
Department of Social Welfare and Development" mandates the DSWD
to provide assistance to Local Government
Units (LGUs), nongovernment
organizations
(NGOs), other national
government
agencies (NGAs), people's organizations (POs) and other members of
civil society in effectively
implementing
programs, projects and
services that will alleviate poverty and empower disadvantaged
individuals, families and communities for an improved quality of life as
well as implement statutory and specialized programs which are
directly lodged with the Department and/or not yet devolved to LGUs.
III. DESCRIPTION

The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is a poverty

reduction
strategy that provides cash grant to extreme
poor
households to allow the members of the families to meet certain
human development goals. It is focused on building human capital of
poorest families (health/nutrition
and education)
because
low
schooling and high malnutrition rate are strongly associated with
poverty cycle in the Philippines.

GOAL and OBJECTIVES

Goal:
To promote human capital among poor families specially children,
to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty.
Objectives:
1. To improve preventive
young children

health care of pregnant

2. To increase enrollment/attendance
level
3. To reduce incidence
4. To raise consumption
foods.
5. To encourage
own) future

women and

of children at elementary

of child labor
of poor households on nutrient dense

parents to invest in their children's (and their

6. To encourage
parent' s participation
in the growth and
development of young children, as well as involvement in the
community.
6. TARGET AREAS and CLIENTElE

a.

Areas

In the selection of target areas for the implementation of

the program, priority is given to the 20 poorest provinces
based on the 2006 Family Income and Expenditure Survey
(FIES) issued by the National Statistical Coordination Board
(NSCB). Further, the poorest province in the regions which are
not included in the 20 poorest were likewise considered to
ensure a regional spread/nationwide
implementation.
The Small Area Estimates (SAE) developed by the NSCB
shall be used to select the municipalities in the poorest
provinces.
Cities shall be selected using the list of poor areas issued by
the National Anti- Poverty Commission (NAPC).
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Selection of
Government
development
only selected
areas are fully
b.

barangay is done in consultation with the Local

Units giving consideration
to the social
projects of the government. Barangays are
in urban areas while the municipality in rural
covered by the project.

Clientele
Eligible Households

Eligible households
following qualifications:

IV.

for

the

program

shall

meet

the

Residents of the municipalities and barangays identified

as areas of implementation of the 4Ps.

Selected by the statistical formula (Proxy Means Test)

developed
for the program and belongs to the
extremely poor household classification as defined by
the poverty threshold of the municipality/province
based on the issuance of the National Statistical and
Coordination Board (NSCB) at the time of selection.

Household with children 0 - 14 years old or with

pregnant woman at the time of selection.

IMPLEMENTING PROCEDURES

The following illustration describes the cycle of implementation

of the 4Ps:

Cycle of Implementation

Selection of
Families

Organization of
Assemblies

FamilyHegistry
Preparation

Supply-side

1st

Assessment

t
1

Selection of
Provinces/

Payment

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2nd/Suceeding

Release

Municipalities

Verification of
Compliance with
Conditions

Conduct of sessions on family

planning, PESand others
1. Selection of Eligible Provinces, Municipalities,
Barangays

Cities and

1.1. Selection of Provinces/Municipalities

Selection
of provinces
shall be based on the
classification
developed
by
the
National
Statistical
Coordination Board (NSCB) using the 2006 Family Income and
Expenditure Survey (FIES).
1.2. Selection of Municipalities/Cities
The Small Area Poverty Estimates (SAEs) developed by
the NSCB shall be used to select municipalities within the
selected provinces.
1.3. Selection of Barangays

Selection of barangays will only apply in urban areas

and shall be based on the availability of supply side on health
and education
based on the results of the supply side
assessment conducted
by the regional office. Likewise,
consultation with the Planning Office of the concerned Local
Government Unit shall be done to ensure that the barangays
identified for the 4Ps implementation will not be affected by
any development projects that may lead to the relocation of
residents for at least the next three years.
2. Supply Side Assessment

Supply side assessment shall be conducted

upon
identification
of the target areas using the supply side
assessment tool on health and education.
The supply side
assessment aims to determine
the readiness of the
city/municipal
local government units in ensuring delivery of
priority health and education
services for the target poor
households. Prior to the conduct of assessment, an orientation
of the local government units on the mechanics and tools on
supply side shall be conducted.
3. Selection of Households

A Household Survey shall be conducted in the target areas, using

a two-page
assessment tool. The Household Assessment Tool
covers the necessary information to run the Proxy Means Test that
identifies/determines
the poorest of the poor in the target areas.
The results of the Proxy Means Test shall be a ranking of households
based on the socio-economic
profile. Prior to the conduct of
household assessment, proper orientation on the use of the
household assessment tool shall be undertaken.
4. Organization

of Initial Community Assemby

When the household beneficiaries have already been identified,

the community assembly in the barangay shall be undertaken.
The main thrusts of the initial community assembly include
identification
and validation
of potential
beneficiaries
and
orientation
about the program. The conduct
of the initial
community assembly shall be initiated by the regional office in
close coordination with the local government units.

Orientation on the Program and Conditionalities

During the initial community assembly, the potential beneficiaries

shall be oriented well on the conditionaltiies of the program as
follows:
a) Pregnant women must get pre natal care starting from the 1st
trimester, child birth is attended by skilled/trained professional,
get post natal care thereafter
b) Parents / guardians must attend family planning sessions/
mother's class, Parent Effectiveness Service and others
c) Children 0-5 years of age get regular preventive health check
ups and vaccines
d) Children 3-5 years old must attend
school

day care

program/pre-

e) Children 6-14 years of age are enrolled in schools and attend

at least 85% of the time
Other Duties And Responsibilities of Household Grantees
a)

Attend meetings and group sessions and coordinate with 4Ps

mother-leader
on concerns relative to the program in the
community such as schedules of release of cash grants and
information
on household
information
such as address,
stopping of children in school or transfer to other school.

b)

Attend parenting education sessionswith the spouse and other

related seminars for 4Ps beneficiaries

c)

Provide regular update on meeting the conditionalities

program to the 4Ps mother-leader as part of verification

of the

5. Family Registry Preparation

All potential beneficiaries who agreed to participate in the

Program will sign the oath of commitment
indicating their
willingness to comply with the conditionalities of the program.

Issuance of 4Ps identification cards shall also be undertaken

including enrollment to the Land Bank Cash Card Program.
6. Provision of Program Package

Upon registration of household beneficiaries, appropriate

program package shall be determined based on the qualified
number of children in the household particularly on education
grant. For Health grant, P 500.00/month per household shall be
given or a total of P6, OOO.OO/year.
For Education grant, 3-14 years old children enrolled at the
Day Care Program/Pre-school and elementary education shall
receive P300.00/month for 10 months or a total of P3, 000.00 in a
year with a maximum of 3 children per household.
Thus, household with 3 children shall receive P1,400.00 per
month and those with one or 2 children shall receive P800.00
and P1,100.00 per month respectively.
Based on the registry, the Project Management
Office will
make the payment lists and the amounts to be paid. The first
cash transfer shall be made upon signing by mothers of the
agreement to participate and comply with the conditionalities.
The 1sf cash transfer does not require the verification of any of
the conditions. Subsequent cash transfer shall be made every
two
months subject
to verification
of compliance
to
conditionalities as specified in the agreement.
Cash trdnsfer shall be coursed through the most responsible
adult person (usually the mother) in the household via credit to
electronic card banking system particularly through the Land
Bank Cash Card program, or other delivery mode most feasible
in areas where Landbank and its network banks are not
available.
7. Monitoring and Verification of Compliance

Compliance of beneficiaries to the conditionalities set forth by

the program shall be monitored
by the DSWD Program
Management Office. A monitoring and verification mechanism
shall be installed in all schools and health centers where children
beneficiaries of education
grant and mothers are availing
education and health services. Focal persons in each school
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and health centers shall be identified to assist the beneficiaries

to enroll and access to this monitoring and verification system.
Compliance refers to carrying out the specific conditionalities on
health and education
by the household
grantee.
Noncompliance
to any of the conditionalities
may
have
corresponding repercussion which may lead to termination from
the program.
8. Succeeding Release
The DSWD-Project Management
Office is responsible in the
consolidation
of reports on monitoring and verification
of
compliance
of household's
beneficiaries.
The results of
verification
shall be used to determine
the amount
of
subsequent release of cash grants to beneficiaries.
B. Regular Conduct of Community Assemblies
Regular community assembly shall be conducted
in the
barangay to bring all concerns of the household grantees to the
overall operation of the program. In the conduct of community
assembly,
a cluster of 20-30 household
grantees
in a
neighborhood
are organized to form into a group called
assembly.
The conduct of the community assembly shall aim primarily to
monitor
compliance
of household
grantees
to program
conditionalities, remind household grantees of their commitments
and responsibilities, facilitate activities and interventions needed
by the household members and the community in general,
facilitate grievances and complaints and facilitate the conduct of
sessions on family planning, mother's class, parent effectiveness
seminars and other parenting education activities. Community
assembly is scheduled to be done twice a month and to be
facilitated by the municipal link and/or mother leader.
C. Organization of Grievance Committee
To provide quick access
compliance and complaints
by evolving a transparent
particular to meeting the

to and due process in resolving nonand to promote a graft-free program

approach
in resolving grievances
conditionalities
of the program, a

grievance committee shall be organized at the national, regional

and municipal levels.
The National Grievance Committee is composed of DSWD,
DepEd, DOH, NAPC,DILG and DBM. The Program Director serves
as the Chairman.
It shall have the functions of reviewing and
conducting
investigation
filed by the Regional Grievance
Committee.
It shall act on and provide
decisions and
recommendations
on cases endorsed at the national level
particularly on cancellation/termination
of household grantees
resulting from 3rd instance of non-compliance
to program
conditionalities as well as provide technical assistance on matters
filed at the regional level.
The Regional Grievance Committee composed of Regional
Director from DSWD, DepEd, DOH, DILG and the Provincial Social
Welfare Officer. DSWD Director chairs the Regional Grievance
Committee.
It shall monitor the progress of compliance
to
conditionalities on filed cases at the municipal level and shall
monitor resolution of grievances,
disputes, comments
and
complaints of cases filed at the municipal level. The Regional
Grievance Committee shall serve as the main repository of intake
forms on all grievances at the municipal level, and conduct
quarterly ex-post facto review of at least 10% of all decisions
made at the municipal level. The Regional Grievance Committee
provides decisions pertaining to suspension in cases of 2nd
instance of non -compliance to 4Ps conditionalities. The Regional
Grievance
Committee shall likewise forward to the National
Grievance Committee cases recommended for termination.
The Municipal
Grievance
Committee
is composed
of
City/Municipal
Social Welfare Officer, Municipal Health Officer,
Municipal
Link, School Principal and Parent Leader of the
Concerned
Barangay.
It shall receive filed cases of noncompliance to APP conditionalities from any of the members of
the community.
It shall provide clarifications and resolutions to
any form of complaints and problems from the household
grantees and/or between and among the grantees and any
member from the community, and shall refer and file unresolved
cases at the regional level on cases of suspension.
V.

INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS

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The National, Regional and Local Advisory Committees

shall be created and be chaired by the Department of Social
Welfare and Development. It shall draw inter-agency policies for
the implementation
of the program in accordance
with the
mandates of the agencies concerned such as the Department of
Education,
Department
of Health and National Anti-Poverty
Commission. Organization
of Advisory Committee
shall be
undertaken down to the regional and municipal levels in order to
strengthen
coordination
in
the
implementation
and
operationalization
of sectoral activities to better execute the
requirements in the implementation
of the program in order to
meet the conditionalities on education and health.
To ensure effective and efficient implementation,
the
following are the specific roles and functions of the Department as
the lead implementing agency, and partner agencies:

Department

of Social Welfare and Development

Central Office:
a. Oversee and coordinate the implementation,
monitoring
and evaluation of the Program.
b. Chair the Advisory Committee
at the National and
Regional levels.
c. Jointly conduct assessment of supplies for health and
education in partnership with concerned agencies
d. Identify target areas based on existing data and select
potential beneficiaries;
e. Forge agreements with the LGUs to ensure availability of
the supply side
f. Provide technical assistance to the regional, provincial,
city/municipal
level on the over-all operations of the
program
g. Serve as repository of data and information about the
program
h. Develop and implement
grievance
system for the
program
I. Mobilize, manage
and account
program funds and
resources
Regional Office:

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a. Translate national
policies to region
specific
operational
guidelines
to
ensure
smooth
implementation of the Program,
b. Coordinate the implementation/operationaiization
of sectoral activities to better execute Program
objectives and functions at the regional, provincial
and municipal levels
c. Review and resolve all Regional concerns and
requirements needing actions,
d. Ensure that supply side on health and education are
available at the target municipalities,
e. Hold regular monthly committee meetings, and
f. Prepare/submit monthly/quarterly
accomplishment
reports.

Department

of Health

DOH shall:
a.
b.

c.

d.

e.

Department

Ensure representation in the Advisory Committees at the

national, regional, city/municipal levels
Ensure that supply of health and nutrition services are
available
in
target
provinces/cities/municipalities/
barangays.
Augment the LGUs logistics needs to enable them to
provide the supply-side for 4Ps, including enrollment to
Philhealth
Assign/designate a permanent staff to form part of the
4Ps Team at the national,
regional/ provincial/ city/
municipal levels
Help monitor
program
operation
particularly
on
compliance of conditions for health
of Education

DepEd, which is mandated to provide basic education

equitably accessible to all children shall:

that is

a.

at the

Ensure representation in the Advisory Committee

national, regional, city and municipal levels

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b.

c.

d.

Department

Ensure that supply of schools, teachers and education

materials
are
available
to
4Ps
target
provi nces/ cities/ m unici pa Iities/ba ra ng a ys
Assign/designate a permanent staff to form part of the
4Ps Team at the regional/ provincial/ city/ municipal/
school levels
Help monitor Program operation particularly on
compliance of conditions on education among
beneficiaries
of the Interior and Local Government

DILG, which mandated to promote peace and order, ensure

public safety and further strengthen local government
capability aimed towards the effective delivery of -basic
services to the citizenry, shall:
a.

b.

c.

d.

Actively participate
in the activities of the National
Advisory Committee and Technical Working Groups that
may be created in all levels for the implementation of
the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps)
Encourage LGUs to incorporate
pro-poor programs
particularly on health and nutrition in their plans and
budget
Assist lead implementing
agencies in capacitating
target LGUs in accessing resources for the upgrading of
facilities to meet the MDG goals
Assist lead implementing agencies in the monitoring and
eva!uation of Program implementation specifically at the
barangay level

National Anti-Poverty Commission

NAPC as the "coordinating and advisory body" that exercises

oversight functions in the implementation
of Social Reform
Agenda shall:
a. Ensure representation In the Advisory Committee at the
national level
b. Provide data/statistics on poor families nationwide
c. Help monitor Program operations at the regional level
The Local Government

Units

13

The Local Government

Units (LGUs)shall:

a. Ensure availability of the supply side on health and education in

the target areas
b. Provide
necessary
technical
assistance
for
Program
implementation
c. Coordinate the implementation/operationalization
of sectoral
activities at the City/Municipal level to better execute Program
objectives and functions
d. Coordinate with various concerned government agencies at the
local level, sectoral representatives and NGO to ensure effective
Program implementation
e. Prepare reports on issues and concerns regarding
Program
implementation and submit to the Regional Advisory Committee,
and
f. Hold monthly committee meetings
VI.

MONITORING

AND EVALUATION

Monitoring shall be conducted to assessthe household grantees'

ability to follow or comply with the conditionalities both for health
and education.
Monitoring shall be conducted
at the local
government unit level to determine the availability of the supply
side on health and education. Appropriate Monitoring Tools shall be
used in monitoring the compliance to program conditionaltiies and
supply side to ensure that basic sectoral services are provided to
help the target beneficiaries meet the conditionalities particularly
on health and education.
The Advisory Committee at the National, Regional and Municipal
level shall have the main functions of overseeing the overall
implementation
of the program in their respective levels and shall
undertake
monitoring
visits to assess the efficiency
and
effectiveness
of
the
program
and
provide
appropriate
recommendations in strengthening program implementation.
An Independent
Monitoring and Advisory Committee
shall
likewise be created at all levels to function as independent monitor
of the program. This is a group of imminent personalities meeting
regularly to discuss issues and concerns, provide inputs and
recommend actions to further improve program implementation.
Program impact can only be measured by doing evaluation on
program policies and implementation. For 4Ps, evaluation shall be
14

done by an outside group to ensure objectivity. The PMO and the

field offices shall provide all the necessary support to the evaluating
team at all levels of evaluation processes. Evaluation is necessary in
all social development programs as it defines the effectiveness of
policies set forth, the mechanisms installed and the implementation
procedures with the aim of improving the program.
VII.

EFFECTIVITY

Issued in Quezon City, this !6!Joi July 2008.

RANZA I. CABRAL

Secretary
DSWD

OSEe

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