MANILA – A technical working group (TWG) of the House Committee on Poverty Alleviation on Tuesday approved, subject to style and amendments, a substitute bill seeking to strengthen and expand the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

The committee, chaired by Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, approved the measure titled “Patuloy ang Pagtawid sa Pamilyang Pilipino Act” during a TWG meeting on January 27.

The TWG, headed by 4K Party-list Rep. Iris Marie Montes, discussed the draft substitute bill consolidating House Bills 326, 1040, 1434, 2789, 3323, 3450, 3507, 4522, 4900, 5093, 5854, and 6734. These measures seek to amend Republic Act No. 11310, or the 4Ps Act.

Among the issues deliberated was the appropriate duration of assistance for qualified beneficiaries, including proposals to allow extensions instead of limiting the program to a fixed seven-year term.

The panel also discussed a provision that would allow the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to determine the duration of conditional cash transfers based on the Social Welfare and Development Indicator and other government-adopted assessment tools.

4Ps Party-list Rep. JC Abalos, author of House Bill 1040, pushed for the inclusion of a system supporting the tertiary education and employment of 4Ps beneficiaries. In the bill’s explanatory note, Abalos said some beneficiary families “choose not to continue their children’s education but instead encourage them to enter the workforce.”

Abalos also proposed granting tax deductions to entities that will hire qualified 4Ps beneficiaries.

Other topics discussed included employment accommodation, guidelines to help beneficiaries become self-sufficient, educational assistance, the establishment of a comprehensive beneficiary tracking database or portal, the proposed enrollment of beneficiaries in the Social Security System, and transition and post-service interventions for existing beneficiaries.

House members who participated in the TWG meeting included Davao Oriental Rep. Cheeno Miguel Almario, Party-list Rep. Nathaniel Oducado, and Sultan Kudarat Rep. Bella Vanessa Suansing.