Some 115,729 household beneficiaries in the Central Visayas region who are already self-sufficient will graduate from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

Cebu province, including the highly urbanized cities of Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, and Mandaue City, has 79,205 4Ps households, while Bohol province has 36,524 4Ps households that will graduate from the program.

These 4Ps household beneficiaries who will graduate from the program have already attained significant change in their status and reached the self-sufficiency level upon graduation based on the latest Social Welfare Development Indicator (SWDI) conducted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

The SWDI aimed to determine and monitor the progress of the 4Ps households’ well-being and to facilitate case management for a sustainable transition out of poverty. To be considered a self-sufficient household, the beneficiaries should have enough income by the time they graduate from the program, can cope with their daily needs, and have achieved the first two SWDI levels, survival (Level 1) and subsistence (Level 2), respectively.

To celebrate the significant changes and achievements of the 4Ps graduates, the DSWD Field Office 7, in coordination with the different local government units (LGUs), has started conducting the Saulog 4Ps ceremonial graduation this March.

“Ako kamong gi-congratulate tungod sa pagsunod ninyo sa inyong gipanumpaan sugod sa adlaw nga na-enroll mo sa programa. Kamong tanan nihatag sa inyong panahon, sa inyong pag-antos, sakripisyo, paningkamot, ug dedikasyon sa pagtuman sa tanang kondisyones sa programa mao nga karong adlawa mo-graduate gyud mo (I congratulate each one of you because you complied with what you have sworn to do, which started on the day you enrolled in the program. You gave your time, effort, sacrifice, and dedication for you to comply with all the program conditions, and now you will graduate from the program),” said DSWD-7 Regional Director Shalaine Marie Lucero during the Saulog 4Ps ceremonial graduation in Lapu-Lapu City held on March 17, 2025.

The DSWD-7 acknowledged the perseverance and determination of the 4Ps partner-beneficiaries who graduated from college and are now employed in different private companies, national government agencies (NGAs), and local government units (LGUs).

Some are already working as barangay officials and barangay workers, overseas Filipino workers, teachers, police officers, seafarers, and BPO workers, and some are in the service sector. Others engaged in livelihood activities such as raising livestock, vending food, providing personal care services, farming, and fishing.

“Giawhag nako kamo nga padayon nga magkugi ug dili kalimtan ang mga nakat-onan nga mga leksyon pinaagi sa binuwan nga Family Development Session o FDS kay magamit kini sa pagkab-ot sa inyong mga pangandoy (I encouraged all of you to continue to persevere and work hard and do not forget the lessons that you have learned through the monthly Family Development Session (FDS) because it can be used in achieving your dreams),” added Director Lucero.

Director Lucero also cited the convergence and complementation efforts of the different national government agencies (NGAs), local government units (LGUs), and civil society organizations (CSOs) in providing different interventions to alleviate the well-being of the 4Ps households.

Bernita Tubio, a 4Ps graduate from Dauis, Bohol, shared in her testimony, “Dako nakong garbo nga nakahuman na og eskwela ang tulo nako nga mga anak ug ang duha niini nagtrabaho na isip mga seafarers. Naa pako upat nga mga anak nga naninguha nga makahuman og eskwela. Salamat sa gobyerno pinaagi sa 4Ps nga natabangan ko nga mapaeskwela akong mga anak (I am proud that three (3) of my children are already college graduates and two of them are now seafarers. I still have four (4) children who are determined to finish their studies. I am thankful to the government through the 4Ps because it helped me send my children to school).”

Since January 2025, Bernita has worked as a Barangay Health Worker (BHW) in her community.

During the Saulog 4Ps ceremonial graduation, the DSWD Field Office 7 turned over the case folders of the 4Ps graduates to the local officials as part of the LGU commitment to continue providing other interventions and services to the 4Ps households so they can sustain their level of well-being after they exit from the program.

Furthermore, to signify their continued support to the 4Ps, different partner stakeholders like LGUs, NGAs, and CSOs had a commitment signing during the graduation ceremony.

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. Its psychosocial and educational components through the Family Development Sessions (FDS) lead the beneficiaries to have improved and sustained well-being. ###

(153) Views