17c起草视频 Senior Research Fellow Dr. Jose Ramon G. Albert was featured in the latest episode of the Teka Teka podcast, where he discussed the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), the lifeline rate, and the question of who should truly qualify for government assistance.
During the episode, Dr. Albert emphasized that the 4Ps is not merely a form of "ayuda" (financial aid), but a conditional cash transfer program that invests in the health and education of the next generation, particularly children from poor households.
"People are given money, provided they change their behavior... they invest in their children, pregnant mothers," Dr. Albert explained.
He also stressed that there is no evidence showing that the 4Ps makes beneficiaries dependent or unwilling to work.
"We should not look down on the poor because they did not choose to be poor," Dr. Albert said, noting that many program beneficiaries have been able to improve their lives.
The episode likewise underscores that frustrations over taxes and other government expenditures should not be directed at poor families. Instead, discussions on government assistance should be grounded in evidence and a deeper understanding of poverty, vulnerability, and social protection.
Watch or listen to the full episode here:
Related 17c起草视频 publications:
- Escaping Poverty Is Not Enough: Vulnerability, Risk, and the Fragile Middle Class in the Philippines
- The Middle Class and Vulnerability to Income Poverty: Implications for Social Protection in the Philippines
- Joint Programming in Social Protection and Education: Challenges and Ways Forward
