By Filane Mikee Cervantes/Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Friday urged the government to expedite the full implementation of the recently-signed Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Law amid the marginal rise in the country’s inflation rate.
This, after the Philippine Statistic Authority (PSA), has reported that the inflation rate rose to 3.2 percent in May from April’s 3 percent.
“This will shield our underprivileged countrymen from rising prices of basic commodities and help reduce the number of Filipino families that consider themselves poor,” Gatchalian said in a statement.
Gatchalian noted that several Filipinos suffered through last year’s rising prices due to the slow implementation of various social mitigating measures, including the government’s conditional cash transfer.
“Sana po ay hindi na maulit ang mga naging pagkakamali natin sa implementasyon ng mga programang ito (Hopefully, there won’t be a repeat of the mistakes made in the implementation of these programs),” Gatchalian said.
The 4Ps is the national poverty reduction strategy and human capital investment program that provides conditional cash transfer to poor households for a maximum period of seven years to improve the health, nutrition and education aspect of their lives.
The eligible beneficiaries of the 4Ps include farmers, fisher folks, homeless families, indigenous peoples, those in the informal settler sector and those in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas including those in areas without electricity.
All beneficiaries of 4Ps as identified by the standardized targeting system to be qualified household-beneficiaries of the 4Ps shall automatically be covered in the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP).
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