The Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office 7—Central Visayas urged active household beneficiaries with pregnant members or children aged 0 to 2 under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to update their household profile.

The updating in their household profile is in preparation for the rollout of the First 1000 Days (F1KD) conditional cash grant that will start in 2025.

The 4Ps household beneficiaries are encouraged to update their information and contact details through their 4Ps city/municipal links (C/MLs) assigned in their respective area by filling out the Beneficiary Updating System (BUS) Form 5.

“The updating of household profiles is important to ensure that we cover all active 4Ps household beneficiaries with pregnant members and have children not more than two years old for the implementation of the First 1000 Days, or F1KD, next year,” said DSWD-7 Regional Director Shalaine Marie Lucero.

“We already started disseminating this information to our beneficiaries last month, and we need to ensure that no one will be left behind for this program milestone,” Director Lucero added.

Aside from filling out the BUS Form 5, the target 4Ps household beneficiaries will need to submit documentary requirements, including the birth certificate or local civil registry of the child and either the medical certificate or health certificate of the pregnant member issued by their respective Rural Health Unit (RHU) or Barangay Health Station (BHS). The 4Ps beneficiaries are encouraged to visit their C/MLs before October 20, 2024.

This effort prepares for F1KD grant implementation in January 2025, provided allocated funds through a special provision in the General Appropriations Act (GAA).

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian proposed to President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. the F1KD conditional cash grant as additional financial support under 4Ps. It aims to assist households during the critical first 1,000 days of child development.

The conditional grant intends to address significant gaps in maternal and child health, like inadequate prenatal care and nutritional deficiencies, which can lead to stunted growth and developmental delays in children.

The 4Ps, launched in 2008 and institutionalized in 2019 through Republic Act No. 11310 or the 4Ps Act, provide subsidies to identified poor households whose children received education grants to finish elementary and senior high school, health grants, and rice subsidies. ###

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