MANILA — Senator Risa Hontiveros questioned the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) over fluctuations in the budget for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), its cash grant sufficiency, and the most common complaints raised by beneficiaries.

During the Senate Committee on Finance deliberations on the proposed 2026 budget, Hontiveros noted that the 4Ps budget rose by 76 percent for 2026—from P64.19 billion in 2025 to P113 billion—but had been sharply reduced in 2025 from P106.3 billion in 2024. She asked DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian to explain the reasons behind the sudden cut and subsequent increase.

Gatchalian said the department did not request a lower budget for 2025 and that the reduction’s rationale was unclear. He added that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. committed to augment the program’s funding by P17 billion to cover the remaining 2025 needs and instructed the Department of Budget and Management to ensure that programs benefiting the poor and vulnerable do not face similar cuts in the future.

Hontiveros also inquired about the consequences of the 2025 budget cut on 4Ps implementation and whether any beneficiaries missed cash grants. Gatchalian said all compliant beneficiaries received their grants on time, as the program pays in arrears every 60 days.

On complaints from 4Ps households, Gatchalian said operational issues remained, such as documentation errors and inclusion-exclusion disputes. He cited ongoing efforts with the World Bank to re-engineer and automate the program’s 14 separate software systems to reduce delays, aiming for same-month grant disbursement by next summer.

Regarding cash grant sufficiency, Hontiveros highlighted that the maximum annual grant of P31,000 in 2019 had diminished in value due to inflation, with many high school students choosing work over education because of insufficient support.

Gatchalian confirmed that current cash grants are not sufficient and that the department is studying indexing options to adjust for inflation and considering policy changes, such as rewarding completion of senior high school to improve retention rates. He said a study on grant adequacy will be submitted to the Senate committee.

Hontiveros urged the DSWD to ensure advocacy for inflation-adjusted grants and to consider additional measures to prevent dropouts, while Gatchalian emphasized the importance of revisiting the 4Ps law to include other factors like completion-based rewards.