Promoting Inclusive Growth through the 4Ps

The year 2013 marks the fifth year of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) implementation in the country since its inception in 2008. The first batch of beneficiaries will be graduating from the program in several months' time. Meanwhile, the government continues to expand the implementation devising along the way several variants that it deems necessary to address the many facets of poverty. The 4Ps is by far the largest poverty reduction and social development program the Philippine government has ever conceived. Approximately PHP 120 billion have already been allocated to the program up to 2013.The program's dual objectives are social assistance and social development. It provides cash assistance to poor families to alleviate their immediate needs and aims to "break the intergenerational poverty cycle through investments in human capital." As program graduation nears, many questions arise of what to expect from this program. It is rather fitting at this point to draw together assessments that have been conducted so far and to look into some important issues in terms of design and implementation. The paper seeks to answer whether expanding the program would likely yield better results or not. It discusses the outstanding issues most especially those on the aspects that have a bearing on the program's ability to facilitate inclusive growth.