PRESIDENT MARCOS EXTENDS 4PS BENEFITS BEYOND 7-YEARS

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has issued Executive Order (EO) No. 120 allowing qualified beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to continue receiving benefits beyond the program’s maximum seven-year period under certain conditions.

The EO, signed on July 13, provides that qualified 4Ps beneficiaries who have completed seven years in the program may continue receiving assistance for as long as they remain classified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as Level 1 (Survival) or Level 2 (Subsistence) under the Social Welfare and Development Indicator (SWDI) tool.

The EO is pursuant to Republic Act No. 11310, or the 4Ps Act, which authorizes the National Advisory Council (NAC) to recommend to the President an extension of benefits beyond the seven-year limit under “exceptional circumstances.”

The NAC recommended the extension through Resolution No. 1, series of 2026, citing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which “severely disrupted household incomes, reversed developmental gains, heightened beneficiary vulnerability, and limited the ability of affected beneficiaries to fully realize the intended outcomes of the Program within the seven-year period.”

“There is a need to ensure that 4Ps beneficiaries affected by exceptional circumstances continue to receive adequate support under the Program until they achieve the level of self-sufficiency as contemplated by RA No. 11310,” the EO stated.

To implement the extension, the DSWD is directed to adopt a strengthened case management system using an enhanced SWDI tool, or other tools it may deem necessary, to assess the well-being of 4Ps beneficiaries and their readiness to graduate from the program.

The DSWD is also tasked to issue implementing guidelines within 30 days from the effectivity of the EO that will cover the identification and validation of qualified beneficiaries, periodic assessments, strengthened case management interventions, and the determination of their continued eligibility and readiness for graduation.

Funding for the implementation of the EO will initially be charged against the DSWD’s current and available appropriations. Funding requirements for its continued implementation will be included in the department’s succeeding budget proposals, subject to the usual budget process.

The EO will take effect immediately upon publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation.