Solons seek updated poverty list as 422,449 households set to graduate from 4Ps by 2025
Lawmakers are urging the government to expedite the update of the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) data to ensure a smooth transition for thousands of families exiting the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) by next year.
House Resolution No. 2085, filed by 4Ps Reps. JC Abalos and Marcelino Libanan, urges the House committee on poverty alleviation to examine the status of Republic Act No. 11315, or the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) Act, enacted in April 2019.
The CBMS, a nationwide poverty mapping system, is designed to provide a comprehensive picture of poverty and vulnerability at the barangay level. The data collected through the CBMS is used to inform the allocation of social protection programs and services.
But delays in implementing it have raised concerns about its effectiveness in addressing the needs of the poor and marginalized. The CBMS Act mandates a comprehensive evaluation of the program’s effectiveness two years after its enactment.
The lawmakers called on the government to prioritize completing the CBMS data collection and analysis to ensure the timely identification and support of vulnerable households.
7-year tenure
Currently, Abalos said, there are about 422,449 households who are expected to leave the program by 2025.
By 2026, 3.3 million households will likewise graduate from the program either because they have become self-sufficient or because their seven-year tenure as beneficiaries has lapsed.
“The CMBS data will be important especially in the coming year so that we can better identify the deserving beneficiaries of the 4Ps program,” Abalos said.
“Right now, the Listahanan (the database used for the program), which uses 2019 data, may be outdated.”
“With the Listahanan already exhausted, and given the significant number of beneficiaries set to graduate, the CBMS data should be ready to prevent delays in onboarding new grantees and ensure the seamless implementation of the program,” he added.
Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian announced in May 2023 that the Listahanan system would be replaced by the CBMS data to identify 4Ps beneficiaries.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) aims to release updated CBMS data by the end of 2024, following the census conducted earlier this year.
