MANILA – The results of the latest surveys conducted by Pulse Asia and Social Weather Station (SWS) showed that four Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) programs have “improved the financial stability of Filipinos belonging to the lower social class.”
The surveys, commissioned by Stratbase Group, gauged public opinion on various government social welfare programs, including the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP), Walang Gutom Program (WGP) and Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS).
The SWS survey, conducted Jan. 17 to 20, interviewed 1,800 respondents with a ±2% margin of error, while the Pulse Asia survey, conducted Jan. 18 to 25, interviewed 2,400 respondents with the same margin of error.
Among the most impactful programs is the 4Ps, which 90 percent of Filipinos found helpful, according to the SWS.
Pulse Asia supported this, with 82 percent of respondents saying 4Ps improved the financial stability of lower-income families.
Other social protection programs also gained strong approval ratings.
The AKAP program was considered beneficial by 81 percent of Filipinos in both surveys.
The Walang Gutom Program, formerly the Food Stamp Program, also gained approval from 81 percent of respondents, while the AICS program registered an 80 percent approval rating.
“This validation from the people strengthens our resolve to further improve our social welfare programs and services and ensure that no Filipino is left behind,” DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said in a statement Tuesday.
“We reaffirm our commitment to strengthen and expand these initiatives, as well as explore additional measures, to ensure that more Filipinos in need can access necessary assistance,” she added.
Launched in 2008 and institutionalized by Republic Act (RA) 11310 in 2019, the 4Ps is the national poverty reduction strategy and human capital investment program that provides conditional cash transfer to poor households for a maximum period of seven years to improve their children’s health, nutrition, and education.
As part of its enhancements, the DSWD is adding the First 1,000 Days (F1KD) of Life conditional cash grant under 4Ps starting 2025 to cover essential health and nutrition expenses of pregnant mothers or parents during the critical period of a child’s life.
Under the F1KD, a monthly health grant worth PHP350 will be granted to female 4Ps beneficiaries who are pregnant and households that have children aged 0 to 2 years.
The AKAP is a program intended to provide targeted social assistance and safety nets for low-income earners whose purchasing power eroded due to inflation.
The AKAP program is set for conditional implementation in 2025, subject to the issuance of new and stricter guidelines as conveyed in the veto message of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. when he signed the General Appropriations Act 2025 on Dec. 30, 2024.
The Walang Gutom Program aims to bring down the incidence of involuntary hunger experienced by Filipinos from low-income households. It also promotes social and behavioral change among food-poor families by teaching them how to prepare nutritious, delicious, and affordable meals.
The AICS program is part of the DSWD’s protective services for the poor, marginalized, vulnerable, and disadvantaged individuals through the provision of medical assistance, burial, transportation, education, food or financial assistance for other support services or needs of a person or family.
Vindication
Meanwhile, Assistant Majority Leader Pammy Zamora said the survey results are proof that the House of Representatives was right in introducing the AKAP.
“Well, personally, masayang-masaya ako sa survey na ‘yan kasi (I am very happy because) it vindicates what we’ve always said na itong mga issues patungkol sa ayuda ay pawang ingay lamang at talaga namang hinahanap ito ng taong bayan (that the issues over the assistance were mere noise and the people really wanted it),” Zamora said in a press briefing.
The Taguig City lawmaker noted that while 4Ps is directed to the “poorest of the poor,” AKAP is for the “near-poor” which also comprises a big percentage of the population.
“Kaya masaya kami na ‘yan ang lumabas sa survey kasi ito naman ay bagay na talagang pinaniwalaan namin noon pa man (That’s why we are happy with the survey results, because this is something that we really believed in since the start),” she said. (With a report from Zaldy De Layola/PNA)