The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has highlighted its efforts to reduce the number of impoverished families after over 1.6 million Filipino families graduated from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao stated on Monday, May 11, 2026, that over nearly 18 years of implementation, the 4Ps has helped more than 1.6 million families escape poverty, demonstrating the government's ongoing commitment to assisting poor families.
The Marcos administration aims to reduce poverty incidence to a single digit by 2028 through a whole-of-government approach against hunger and poverty.
Most of the families that graduated from the 4Ps came from the Cordillera Administrative Region, with over 174,000 self-sufficient households, followed by the National Capital Region (over 141,000), Ilocos Region (over 129,000), Calabarzon (over 127,000), and Central Luzon (over 122,000).
The 4Ps National Program Management Office (NPMO) assesses beneficiaries using the Social Welfare and Development Indicator (SWDI), which determines the economic capacity and social adequacy of households.
Under the SWDI, households are classified into three levels: survival (Level 1), subsistence (Level 2), and self-sufficient (Level 3). The results are used to identify appropriate interventions to achieve self-sufficiency. To reach Level 3, the 4Ps Kilos-Unlad Social Case Management Strategy is implemented to help families exit the program.
The strategy also involves cooperation with other government agencies and the private sector to provide necessary support to beneficiaries. Dumlao emphasized that the 4Ps is not just temporary assistance but an investment in the future that strengthens the capacity of families to achieve sustainable development.
