More Families Gain Support as Poverty Falls

The Philippines will add 500,000 new households to its flagship anti-poverty programme after 1.4 million families improved their living conditions enough to graduate from government assistance.

“At this point, we are down to 3 million because the lives of 1.4 million families have improved, allowing them to graduate from the programme,” said Rex Gatchalian, Secretary of Social Welfare and Development.

The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) currently supports around 3 million households and will expand to 3.5 million households to ensure eligible families continue to receive assistance. Government assessments found that 1.4 million beneficiary households had progressed to self-sufficiency since 2022, while national poverty incidence has fallen to 15%. The programme provides conditional cash transfers to help families meet health, nutrition and education needs, alongside a monthly rice subsidy. By supporting children’s development while helping households achieve greater economic stability, the initiative continues to contribute to long-term poverty reduction across the country.