Chuy
André B. Flores
2013 – 44268, THQ – 1
Reaction Paper: Conditional Cash Transfer in the Philippines
The Conditional Cash Transfer Program is a social development program of nations around the world that aims to provide cash grants to poor families for their needs concerning health, nutrition, and education. In the Philippines, it is implemented as the “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program” wherein poor households receive monthly subsidies which seeks to enable their children to attend school for a certain period of time only and requires mothers to visit health centers for regular check-ups. Given the mandate of the government to attend to the needs of the citizens of the country, especially to those who are marginalized, they must ensure and provide programs that effectively solve the problem of poverty in our country. It has been quite some time since this program was implemented and the effects cannot be clearly seen. Though the government says that the benefits of the program become evident through time, I personally think that the 4P’s is not the most effective solution to the problem of poverty that is existent in our country. The program has its own share of pros and cons but for a citizen with right judgment and a view of the future, the program does not provide a long-term solution since the recipients can just do what they want with the money they receive and the conditions set by the government are not strong assurances that they will comply. The 4P’s only covers a period of time and locations that have schools and health centers. In that period, families develop much dependency to the government’s promise of subsidies for education and health. What is the 4P’s for our fellow Filipinos in areas that do not even have schools with teachers or even buildings, and government hospitals/health centers with doctors? What is it for the beneficiaries of the program after the allotted period for them to “enjoy” the program? The government has still a lot of
2013 – 44268, THQ – 1
Reaction Paper: Conditional Cash Transfer in the Philippines
The Conditional Cash Transfer Program is a social development program of nations around the world that aims to provide cash grants to poor families for their needs concerning health, nutrition, and education. In the Philippines, it is implemented as the “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program” wherein poor households receive monthly subsidies which seeks to enable their children to attend school for a certain period of time only and requires mothers to visit health centers for regular check-ups. Given the mandate of the government to attend to the needs of the citizens of the country, especially to those who are marginalized, they must ensure and provide programs that effectively solve the problem of poverty in our country. It has been quite some time since this program was implemented and the effects cannot be clearly seen. Though the government says that the benefits of the program become evident through time, I personally think that the 4P’s is not the most effective solution to the problem of poverty that is existent in our country. The program has its own share of pros and cons but for a citizen with right judgment and a view of the future, the program does not provide a long-term solution since the recipients can just do what they want with the money they receive and the conditions set by the government are not strong assurances that they will comply. The 4P’s only covers a period of time and locations that have schools and health centers. In that period, families develop much dependency to the government’s promise of subsidies for education and health. What is the 4P’s for our fellow Filipinos in areas that do not even have schools with teachers or even buildings, and government hospitals/health centers with doctors? What is it for the beneficiaries of the program after the allotted period for them to “enjoy” the program? The government has still a lot of