CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – The government is preparing to strike more than 11,000 impoverished families in Northern Mindanao off its flagship anti-poverty program by the end of the year, and many more would follow by 2026, raising urgent questions about what happens to families once state support ends.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said roughly 170,000 more households – about half of the current beneficiaries in the region – are also expected to leave the program by 2026.

DSWD-Northern Mindanao Director Ramel Jamen said families enrolled in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), also known as the Conditional Cash Transfer Program (CCTP), typically exit after seven years or once they no longer have eligible children.

“Either they have no more school-age children, are now well off, or have already been with 4Ps for seven years,” he said.

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Among them is Liezel Rondahan, a resident of Barangay Nangcaon in Opol town, Misamis Oriental. She said on Monday, June 23, that her family will be delisted next year even though none of her three children has finished high school. Her eldest is a 10th grader.

Her family depends on farming vegetables, root crops, and bananas, which she said is not enough to support their needs. 

“Dako nga tabang ang 4Ps, pero wa tay mahimo kung kutob ra mi sunod tuig (The 4Ps has been a great help, but there is nothing we can do if we are delisted from it next year),” she said. 

“I don’t know how my husband and I could make sure our children could finish high school,” she added, expressing hope they could access other support from government or non-governmental organizations.

While there have been success stories of impoverished families escaping destitution through the program, financial stability is not guaranteed, officials said, as unexpected events can quickly reverse their gains. The setbacks may come in the form of natural or human-induced disasters.

Jamen told a forum in Cagayan de Oro last week that despite success stories from 4Ps beneficiaries, there have also been cases of families falling back into poverty due to such incidents.

At the forum, Jamen also reported on the DSWD’s ongoing interventions, including the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) and the Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP), despite political wrangling over funding and beneficiary selection. The issue was raised during the May 2025 elections.

AICS is the DSWD’s flagship emergency aid program, offering medical, burial, transportation, food, and educational assistance to those with barangay-issued indigency certificates. AKAP supports displaced workers and low-income earners with similar forms of aid, including medical and cash assistance. Both programs were widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jamen clarified that lawmakers have no direct access to AICS or AKAP funds. “Still, even if they have issued referral letters, the amount to be released to beneficiaries would depend on the assessments of our social workers,” he said.

As of June 13, DSWD had assisted 342,881 individuals and disbursed P1.542 billion, nearly 80% of which was in cash or material assistance in Northern Mindanao alone. Medical aid alone reached 51,026 patients, totaling more than P581 million.

Since January, AKAP benefitted 81,232 residents in the region, with over P294 million disbursed, mostly in cash.

Jamen said lawmakers helped push the DSWD’s budget but stressed this did not entitle them to dictate who should receive aid.

In 2024, the DSWD launched the Pag-Abot Program (PAP) in 2024 under Executive Order No. 52 to assist vulnerable children, individuals, and families living on the streets. In Northern Mindanao, the social welfare department has so far supported 16 families under PAP, disbursing P1.5 million in financial, shelter, livelihood, and psychosocial aid.

Under the 4Ps program, each household is entitled to a monthly health grant of P750; education grants of P300 for elementary, P500 for junior high, and P700 for senior high school students, for up to three children; and a P600 monthly rice subsidy for compliant households, provided over 10 months of the school year.

Institutionalized through Republic Act No. 11310, the program provides educational aid for up to seven years to allow other families to benefit as well.

Eligibility for 4Ps is based on classifications by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) using the Standardized Targeting System and poverty thresholds at the time of selection.

While the DSWD is mandated to deliver various assistance programs, Jamen said delays and partial grants sometimes occur due to fund availability and case assessments. He said such delays were experienced shortly before the May 12 elections. – Rappler.com