President Rodrigo Duterte has signed the law institutionalizing the conditional cash transfer program or known as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

Republic Act No. 11310, otherwise known as the "Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Act, was inked on April 17.

The 4Ps is the national poverty reduction strategy and a human capital investment program that provides conditional cash transfer to poor households for a maximum period of seven years, to improve the health, nutrition and education aspect of their lives.

The National Advisory Council may recommend a longer period under exceptional circumstances, the law said.

According to the new Act, eligible beneficiaries are farmers, fisherfolks, homeless families, indigenous peoples, those in the informal settler sector and those in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas including those without electricity shall be automatically included in the standardized targeting system to be conducted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Those families eligible for cash grants must be classified as poor and near-poor based on the Standardized Targeting System and the poverty threshold issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority at the time of selection; have members who are aged zero to 18 years old or have members who are pregnant at the time of registration; and willing to comply with the conditions specified by the Act.

The program provides conditions that should be complied with by the household-beneficiaries.

These include the availment of pregnant women of pre-natal services, give birth in a health facility attended by a skilled health professional, and receive post-partum care and post-natal care for her new born;

Children zero to five years old must receive regular preventive health and nutrition services including check-ups and vaccinations;

Children one to 14 years old must avail of deworming pills at least twice a year;

Children three to four years old must attend day care or pre-school classes at least 85 percent of their time;

Children five to 18 years old must attend elementary or secondary classes at least 85 percent of their time; and

At least one responsible person must attend family development sessions conducted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, at least once a month.

"Any or all of the conditions for entitlement may be suspended by the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) Secretary during times of calamities, war and armed conflicts," the law read.

The Act also provides for penalties for those who would violate the law.

According to DSWD, since 4Ps' inception in 2008, 4.8 million poor households have benefited from the program. Celerina Monte/DMS