MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Magandang umaga, Malacañang Press Corps, and welcome sa ating press briefing ngayon, February 20, 2024.

During today’s sectoral meeting, the Department of Social Welfare and Development presented to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. some proposed measures to ensure the effectiveness, and sustainability of our anti-poverty programs. President Marcos Jr. directed the DSWD to look for ways to protect the value of government’s assistance so the poorest of the poor will be protected from future economic factors such as inflation. This is in keeping with President Marcos’ 8-point socioeconomic agenda particularly the medium term fiscal framework to improve healthcare, social services and education bilang bahagi ng ating daan patungo sa ‘Bagong Pilipinas’.

One of the ideas being studied is the inclusion of the first one thousand days of a child’s life into our national anti-poverty program; the first one thousand days from conception to two years old are vital in addressing stunting and malnutrition. Additionally, pregnant and lactating mothers and infants need the proper nutrition, breastfeeding and necessary vaccines.

And here to tell us more about the anti-poverty programs of the DSWD is Secretary Rex Gatchalian.

DSWD SEC. GATCHALIAN: Good morning, Daphne. Magandang umaga sa inyong lahat.

Katulad ng sinabi ni Daphne, we just finished a sectoral meeting with the president, at isa sa mga inatasan niyang pag-aralan namin is paano huwag mag-diminish or mabawasan iyong halaga ng mga financial assistance or grants na ibinibigay natin sa ating mahihirap na kababayan. Alam naman natin na ginagawa ng economic team lahat para mapababa ang inflation pero habang ginagawa iyon, kailangan kaakibat iyong pagprotekta sa peso value ng mga grants na ibinibigay natin katulad sa 4Ps at sa iba pang mga programa na nakatuon sa pagbigay ng social protection sa pinakamahihirap nating mga kababayan.

Pangalawa, patuloy pa rin tayong humahanap ng iba’t ibang mga programa para masolusyunan natin iyong napako na, na stunting rate ng ating bansa. Napakaimportanteng aspeto niyan sa ating Pangulo kaya katulad ng iba pang mga departamento like DOH in particular, lagi kami sa DSWD naghahanap ng mga ibang paraan kung paano malabanan ang stunting sa mga existing na social welfare programs.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Thank you, Secretary. Question from Racquel Bayan, Radyo Pilipinas.

RACQUEL BAYAN/RADYO PILIPINAS: Sir, I know po na parang sinabi na po ng DSWD iyong posisyon niya regarding sa recommendation ng DA na gawin na lamang pong actual rice iyong rice subsidy na natatanggap ng DSWD. Sabi ninyo po not feasible pero sabi rin po kasi ng DA, sir, isa ito sa mga nakikita para i-ease iyong inflation. Nabanggit rin po ba ito sa sectoral meeting?

DSWD SEC. GATCHALIAN: Kanina napag-usapan iyan. Pero let me just correct you ha, I didn’t say not feasible. I said—

RACQUEL BAYAN/RADYO PILIPINAS: Si Asec po yata iyong nagsabi noon.

DSWD SEC. GATCHALIAN: No. We always say it’s logistically hard pero patuloy kaming nag-uusap ng Department of Agriculture kung paano ma-implement ito. Kaya logistically hard kasi kung iisipin ninyo, kalat-kalat iyong ating mga benepisyaryo; 4.4 million spread across different areas in the country, sometimes in the most geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas – mga bundok, mga isla.

So minsan nagtitipon sila para sa kanilang family development session once a month, kung naisip namin na doon gawin iyong rice distribution pero ang mga issues na kailangang sugpuin iyong storage ng bigas habang inaantay maganap iyong FDS o iyong Family Development Session; two, kasi iyong binibigay natin na payouts is two months at any given time so paano nila bibitbitin iyong 1,200 pesos worth na bigas – mga kababaihan ito kadalasan na nakatira sa malalayong mga nayon; pangatlo, kanina nga napag-usapan, sabi nga ni Secretary Balisacan we have to do a cost analysis at baka naman iyong binibigay natin na tulong eh ma-diminish dahil nga doon sa hirap naman na kunin.

One thing for sure – pinag-aaralan! Hindi tayo sumusuko doon para ma-achieve rin natin na matulungan iyong mga producers natin na magsasaka. Pero pangalawa, tulad ng laging sinasabi ng presidente, ang tulong ay hindi dapat pinahihirapan ang ating mga kababayan. So that’s where we draw the line, meaning kapag alam namin na lalo lang mahihirapan iyong ating mga benepisyaryo, hindi natin itutuloy.

Kanina parang nabanggit iyon, parang nasabi ng pangulo—I told the President we will continue studying but the president also said na baka logistically mahihirapan. So nandoon muna tayo, we’re not saying no. Studies are ongoing pero taking into account the logistics na kailangan para hindi mahirapan ang ating mga kababayan.

RACQUEL BAYAN/RADYO PILIPINAS: Sir, update lang po doon sa paglilinis natin ng 4Ps po, sir.

DSWD SEC. GATCHALIAN: Ah, kanina matagal na talakayan iyan. Iyong paglilinis tapos na kami, kaunting-kaunti na lang – nagsimula iyan noong panahon ni Secretary Erwin Tulfo. Actually, gusto kong linawin na hindi ninyo nililinis iyong 4Ps – ang nililinis natin iyong… actually nilinis na iyong 4Ps at iyong Listahanan, iyong Listahanan. Kanina napag-usapan iyan, sinimulan ni Secretary Erwin Tulfo iyong paglilinis, tinuloy namin noong pag-assume ko and tapos na tayo.

Pero kanina napag-usapan nga iyong maaaring ways forward kasi bakit? Iyong Listahanan na ginagamit natin is 2019 pa, so alam natin na bahagi noon nangyari bago nag-COVID – iyong balanse noon nangyari after COVID. So maaaring nag-iba na at alam rin nating nag-iba na ang mukha ng kahirapan – maaaring iyong mga dating hindi mahirap dahil sa pandemya eh nag-adjust ang buhay, naging mahirap. And to the same degree kung 2019 pa iyon, it’s been five year since. So alam natin, sa batas kasi every four years dapat ginagawa namin iyan kaya lang lumabas iyong CBMS Law, iyong Community-Based Monitoring System. ‘Di ba ang CBMS ay isang napaka-effective na tool kung saan ang mga local government units sa tulong ng PSA, ang maggagawa ng survey or saturation to make the new list.

Doon sa batas kasi, pinagbawalan na ang lahat ng ahensiya katulad ng DSWD na gumawa ng panibagong listahan pa – isa na lang tayo, iyong CBMS. Kanina ang good news, bagama’t hindi ako taga-PSA, sabi nga ng presidente kailangan sa mabilis na panahon matapos na ‘tong CBMS. At in-assure naman ng PSA, nila Usec. Dennis Mapa na the moment ma-release iyong budget na naka-allocate para sa kanila, by end of the year tapos sila – by January may bago na kaming listahan.

Kasi puwede natin… kanina iyong analogy nga, linis kami nang linis ng Listahanan pero matatandaan ninyo kung luma na iyong nililinis mo, maaaring may porsiyento ng populasyon na wala talaga doon sa listahan. So kahit anong linis mo, wala siya doon kasi it’s an old list. It’s due for creating of a new list and that’s CBMS. The major highlight kanina is the president reemphasized – correct ‘no, Daphne – so many times that the CBMS dapat gawin na. At sabi naman ng NEDA at ng DBM, the funds are being processed, released; they can conduct that.

Bakit maganda iyong CBMS? Iyong CBMS is mas granular siya all the way to the individual. Marami iyong tanong doon – iyong food insecurity – at hindi lang DSWD ang makikigamit noong listahan na iyon, lahat ng ahensiya na may anti-poverty programs or kahit nga huwag anti-poverty… if you wanna look at other dynamics sa pamilya/sa indibidwal, makikita natin sa CBMS.

Ako naging mayor ako and I’ve done that, used the CBMS before. It’s a very effective tool kasi granular siya eh, napaka-micro noong kaniyang sinusukat and dahil LGU-driven ito together with PSA, puwede ninyong i-update nang i-update nang mas mabilis kasi alam mo iyong lugar mo – alam mo biglang nagkaroon ng bagong industriya doon. Puwede kang magpatakbo ng CBMS kaagad kasi baka naman nawala na iyong mahihirap doon; or let’s say nagkaroon ng isang disaster sa isang lugar, nawalan ng trabaho iyong mga tao – iyong dating may trabaho, nawalan ng trabaho dahil nasira then you can do another CBMS to capture the newer picture – mas responsive siya, mas micro at mas granular.

RACQUEL BAYAN/RADYO PILIPINAS: Sir, quick follow up lang po doon sa recommendation ng DA. Pinag-aaralan po ba natin, possible po ba na within this year po matapos po iyong pag-aaral?

DSWD SEC. GATCHALIAN: Ah, sa mabilis na panahon. Nowadays lahat naman is mabilis nating ginagawa – kung puwede, gagawin; kapag hindi puwede, we’ll make sure to report back kung bakit hindi puwede.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Okay. Sam Medenilla, Business Mirror.

SAM MEDENILLA/BUSINESS MIRROR: Hi. Good morning, sir. Itatanong ko lang po, sir, kung na-mention po nila kanina na parang pinag-aaralan na mas maging responsive iyong benefits na binibigay ng DSWD. So, magkakaroon po ba tayo ng—may proposal po ba na iyong mga benefits naa-adjust iyong amount depending sa inflation?

DSWD SEC. GATCHALIAN: Yes. Actually, without going into so much details kasi nga it’s subject for further calculations with PSA and NEDA, iyan ang gist ng meeting kaninang umaga, na masigurado na naka-price index whether it’s cost of living or price of… the essential baskets. We were tasked to work with PSA and NEDA to find the best index to use to make sure na ang tulong pinansiyal, whether the 4Ps grants or I guess all other social protection that we do, i-make sure namin na hindi siya napag-iiwanan kung nagkaroon ng spikes like inflation

That was the gist of the meeting kanina, kasi nga bahagi ng thrust ng ating pangulo ay masigurado na ang social protection ay hindi lang ginagawa kung hindi angkop sa panahon, angkop sa pangangailangan – it’s not only being timely but it’s also being responsive in making sure it’s the right amount that you need. Kasi alam naman natin na inflation hits the bottom 30 of our population more. Kanina nga we were talking about the data na in 2023 the bottom 30s inflation was 6.7, meaning point seven higher than the regular six na maaaring ang non-poor ay nararamdaman – so, that by itself is already something to look at.

Inflation always hits the bottom 30 the hardest so, that’s why nga the president instructed DSWD to work with PSA and NEDA to come up with the right mechanisms to protect the value of our grants.

SAM MEDENILLA/BUSINESS MIRROR: Bale, sir, i-ask ko lang, may timeline po ba para doon sa development noong index-based na..?

DSWD SEC. GATCHALIAN: Well, that’s ASAP. In the president’s term naman lahat is everything has to be done now – ‘di ba sa Bagong Pilipinas hindi pinag-uumaga ang trabaho. In fact, after this I’m going to go back to the office, run our numbers with the data crunchers, pass it on to PSA; hopefully, we can incorporate each other’s ideas in the fastest possible time.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Okay. Eden Santos.

EDEN SANTOS/NET 25: Secretary, tanong ko lang po, how much iyong exact amount noong 4Ps and I heard tuwing every two months po ibinibigay ito sa mga beneficiaries ng 4Ps?

DSWD SEC. GATCHALIAN: How much? Iba-iba iyan! The health grant is fixed at 700; tapos iyong education grant niya moves depende kung mayroon kang maximum of three children depending which grade you are – kapag nasa elementary, 300 pesos iyan; kapag nasa high school, 500 pesos; kapag nasa senior high school, 700 pesos – so maximum of three, iyan iyong bracketing niya. So, you get the education grant na gumagalaw depende kung ano ang grade ng iyong anak, you get the fixed health grant at 700 pesos an then you get that 600 pesos rice assistance. Ang maximum for a child of three normally hovers at around 3,400 pesos. Maximum na iyon.

EDEN SANTOS/NET 25: Per two months or monthly?

DSWD SEC. GATCHALIAN: No, every two months ang increment noon.

EDEN SANTOS/NET 25: So, since pababa po iyong trend ng ating inflation, does it mean ba na mababawasan iyong natatanggap na ayuda ng ating mga beneficiaries?

DSWD SEC. GATCHALIAN: No, never kaming nagbabawas. It’s more of making sure na iyong value niya ay hindi nagdi-diminish. Siyempre, may base kasi iyan sa batas naman eh, hindi mo naman puwedeng biglang sabihin—remember the 4Ps Law is a law, the 4Ps program is a law – naka-fix doon hanggang dito iyong ibinibigay.

Ang gusto ng pangulo, katulad sa iba nating mga social protection program, mayroon siyang self-indexing kung biglang nag-spike ang inflation. Kasi kapag may inflation iyong piso mo ay maaaring hindi na piso ang halaga, nakatatanggap ka nga ng piso pero hindi ka na nakakabili ng piso-worth of goods. So, gusto lang niya na forward looking hindi na dapat iyong magpapaalam pa kung kanino para magpalit kung hindi ay sana ma-incorporate sa batas the self-adjusting mechanism. It will require a lot of thinking kaya nga hindi lang ito do it your own assignment ng DSWD kung hindi nandoon iyong NEDA at iyong PSA which they both concurred. Sabi nga nila, “We’ll pass them on our proposal.”

EDEN SANTOS/NET 25: Thank you po, Secretary.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Jean Mangaluz, Inquirer.Net.

JEAN MANGALUZ/INQUIRER.NET: Hi, Sec. So, actually you mentioned it kanina na the amount of the cash aid is fixed in the law, so when will you push Congress to..?

DSWD SEC. GATCHALIAN: All of those will come, tie together. Sabi nga ng pangulo kanina, “First, compute first.” Alamin ninyong mabuti anong index ang gusto ninyong gamitin; then number two, sabi niya if it’s okay with the economic managers and he looks at and it’s okay with him, we can now incorporate it in the 4Ps Law. Hopefully, we’re hoping na we get to introduce it in a LEDAC. But give us time to compute first, ayaw namin na magkamali iyong index na gagamitin kasi there are plenty of index from what we’ve heard this morning from our economic team, there’s based on consumer price index ‘di ba, mayroon din iyong essential basket cost. Maraming ways to do it but the more important thrust there is make it responsive and make it protect its value against being diminished by shocks like inflation.

JEAN MANGALUZ/INQUIRER.NET: Quick follow up. We know that inflation has eased recently but prices are still quite high. So, what is the possibility of providing an inflation package especially to the poorest of the poor?

DSWD SEC. GATCHALIAN: Okay. The 4Ps is really meant to protect our 4.4 million poorest of the poor – that’s the main flagship program of the country. This is the solution to it – making sure nga na protektahan muna natin iyong flagship kasi iyon iyong pinakanangangailangan eh but doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll, stop there. For instance, the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation o iyong AICS is governed – wala pa siyang law – is governed by a memo circular.

So, the Department is also now tasked to look into the values of what we give out – baka iyong medical assistance namin na cap you know medical bills are also inflationary ‘di ba, we wanna make sure that all the products and services that can be affected by inflation, iyong menu namin sa AICS ay pag-aaralan na rin namin baka hindi na kasi sapat iyong value ng ibinibigay namin.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Tuesday Niu, DZBB.

TUESDAY NIU/DZBB: Hi, sir. Iyong AKAP program, sir, as of now ay medyo may pag-question iyong ilang senador natin. Ano po ang lagay ba ngayon noong AKAP program?

DSWD SEC. GATCHALIAN: Una, nagpapasalamat ako sa ating mga mambabatas na nagtatanong kasi it gives us a chance to clarify. Wala pa ni isang centavo ng AKAP na nagagamit – the whole appropriation is intact because the department is still crafting the guidelines. If you look at the special provision ng AKAP sa batas, it’s meant for our minimum wage earners to protect as an anti-inflation mechanism. Maganda iyong programa, importante lang mahubog namin nang maayos ang guidelines para talaga maging faithful siya sa mandato ng batas na ibinigay sa kaniya.

TUESDAY NIU/DZBB: Ang isa sa pag-question doon, sir, bakit daw po may budget na kaagad ni wala pa pala daw mechanism, wala pang IRR iyong program?

DSWD SEC. GATCHALIAN: Kami sa departamento nirirespeto bilang dati ring mambabatas nirirespeto namin ang prerogatiba ng ating Congress – when I say Congress, it’s a whole, the Lower House and the Upper House – to introduce amendments to the budget.

Alam ninyo, just a side story, sometime October, before even the whole talk about AKAP happened I personally, together with some members of our sa DSWD, met Usec. Mapa of PSA because he is a known poverty expert. Kasi matagal nang pag-aaral sa departamento namin na kailangan mayroon tayong near poor, tawag namin near poor pero iyan iyong minimum wage earners natin na programa, kasi itong mga minimum wage earners natin isang shock lang sa pamilya – may namatay, may nagkasakit, inflation, iyong mga hindi inaasahang pagkakataon they’re so vulnerable na puwede silang mag-spiral pabalik sa kahirapan.

Remember, sa mandate ng DSWD – it’s the poor, the marginalized, the vulnerable. So, we have always thought in DSWD to expand the definition of vulnerable to include our near poor. Poverty experts like si Usec. Mapa has always been advocating that. So, as early as October, gusto na namin iyan. So, it was a very welcomed addition to our budget. Noong natapos ang bicameral conference nandoon na siya. We were about to propose it hopefully this year but naunahan na kami so we will make sure that we use every single centavo of that to its most faithful fulfilment of its mandate which is near poor or minimum wage earners anti-inflation mechanism.

Now, iyong tanong mo bakit nauna iyong budget bago iyong guidelines – again the power of the purse is with the legislative. We submit a proposal but based on their wisdom because they do a lot of public hearings, a lot of committee hearings, sila mismo nakita nila iyong value noong paglagay noon sa budget namin as an amendment and that’s also, again, part of the power of the purse to amend what we submit.

Also, this is not the first. Apparently, I checked in our records a couple of years ago even before I get there, even before this administration, mayroong mga instances na nag-introduce din ang legislature ng panibagong program – this one was a program for women, protection of women with a 10 million entry na ang tawag doon sa acronym niya nasa budget pa rin namin ngayon SWEMSI – it’s more meant for women protection. Ganoon din ang nangyari – in-introduce through the legislature as an amendment because he need for social protection for women and teenaged mothers – dalawa iyan – women and teenaged mothers and then kami na lang ang gumawa ng guidelines.

So, there’s nothing peculiar as long as we abide by the special provision. Remember, the line item of AKAP has a special provision to it; nilagyan pa nila ng parameter. So we have to make sure that whatever guideline we do ay nakakasunod doon sa parameter na nilagay nila.

ALVIN BALTAZAR/PBS: Secretary, good morning po. Doon sa AKAP lang. Mukhang sa Congress, wala naman kayong problema tungkol doon sa programa; mukhang sa Senate lang yata. Hindi ba naiipit ang DSWD para sa [unclear]?

DSWD SEC. GATCHALIAN: Ako, I’ve always said this: Matagal na naming gusto iyan sa departamento. And if I am invited in any of the chambers, whether Congress or the Senate, I would gladly explain the rationale why we like a program for the near poor. Gusto naming ipaliwanag kung bakit mahalaga magkaroon ng ganitong klaseng ayuda para sa ating mga minimum wage earners – sa mga saleslady, sa mga kahero sa mall, sa mga janitors, sa mga security guards. Sila iyong nagbabayad ng buwis pero kadalasan nga lahat ng programa namin sa aming departamento ay nakatuon sa mas mahihirap pa. Sila iyong tumutulong sa ating ekonomiya, pero sa oras ng kanilang pangangailangan, saan sila kakapit? Ang gobyerno kailangan ay responsive and, palagay ko ay panahon na para mabigyan sila ng atensiyon.

Kaya uulitin ko ulit: Welcome na welcome sa DSWD iyong paglagay ng AKAP sa aming budget. Sisiguraduhin namin na huhubog kami ng isang guideline na faithful o paninindigan niya iyong special provision na nilagay ng Kongreso.

ALVIN BALTAZAR/PBS: Secretary, follow-up lang sana doon sa 4Ps program. Sa record po ng ahensiya ninyo, ilan na ba iyong mga nabawas sa poverty level because of the 4Ps program?

DSWD SEC. GATCHALIAN: Again, you cannot direct, do a direct attribution. Ang paglaban sa kahirapan ay hindi sa isang programa lamang kung hindi lahat iyan – kasama diyan ang edukasyon, paglikha ng trabaho para may hanapbuhay sila. So we cannot attribute na nabawasan ang—kasi ‘di ba last year parang, I remember, the yearend, one percent reduction on poverty. But we cannot solely claim na kami lang ang gumawa noon kung hindi all-of-government approach iyon.

But what’s more important to us is, the amount of graduates from the 4Ps program. As of this date, February 2024, close to 700,000 of the 4.4 have graduated, kasama na diyan iyong mga gumanda iyong antas ng pamumuhay, iyong mga umabot na sa 7-year mark. Pero mayorya doon sa 700,000, mga 65% noon ay upon our evaluation of our social workers, nakita nilang self-sufficient na. Hindi ibig sabihin na puwede na naming bitawan kaya nga nandiyan iyong … kasi magiging—yeah, exactly. Iyan iyong next mechanism for them, na kung bigla na naman magkaroon ng danger sa vulnerability, programs like the AKAP can prevent them from spiraling down to poverty.

Imagine mo, pinagpundaran natin ng pitong taon iyong tao makaahon sa kahirapan, naangat mo – ito iyong poverty line, nakatungtong lang siya slightly, visually ‘di ba – tapos biglang may nangyari lang balik na naman siya doon sa ilalim, eh di sayang iyong pinundar nating lahat. So you need these support crutches, tawag ko sa kanila, parang saklay, na sa oras ng pangangailangan ay hindi sila mahuhulog pabalik sa kahirapan or else this becomes a vicious cycle.

Number two, let’s not—alam ninyo, 4Ps is the flagship anti-poverty program of the government for years. But we also have to look at its main goal. Ang una niyang goal talaga is putulin ang kahirapang naisasalin mula sa isang henerasyon patungo sa pangalawang henerasyon. Bakit ko sinabi iyon? Kaya kung titingnan ninyo ang condition niya, dapat iyong anak mo nasa paaralan. Hindi mo makukuha iyong grant mo kapag hindi niya tinapos iyong mula daycare hanggang sa senior high school. That’s precisely why kapag susukatin ninyo kaagad iyong 4Ps ngayon, marami nang mga ekonomista at anti-poverty experts ang nagsasabi, hindi pa napapanahon. Pero tingnan natin a couple more years kung nabali niya talaga iyong inter-generational poverty.

Pero we’ve already seen signs of success. Mayroon tayong mga success stories, nasa social media namin iyan, iyong mga nakatapos iyong anak, naging valedictorian ng batch nila, naging inhinyero, then sila ngayon iyong kumakayod para sa kanilang pamilya para hindi maulit na naman; sila iyong nagpapaaral sa kanilang mga kapatid kasi ayaw na nilang mahulog ulit sa kahirapan.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Secretary, you mentioned that breaking the cycle of inter-generational poverty and also today, you explore the idea of including first 1,000 days, maybe it’s time to share the importance of nutrition from conception and what role it plays in terms of development and the …

DSWD SEC. GATCHALIAN: Daphne, that’s a very good question. We spent a long time talking about that this morning. Sa bottom 30 kasi – ibig sabihin iyong 30%, iyong pinakamahirap na mga kababayan – very prevalent pa rin ang stunting. So ang tanong pabalik: ‘Di ba nasa 4Ps nga sila, bakit? Ang sagot namin kasi doon, napansin namin na dahil iyong health grant natin ay fixed, 700, walang insentibo sa kanila na magparehistro, kapag nabubuntis sila, sa health center; walang monitoring for their children ng 0-2. Kasi kahit na isa ang anak mo, dalawa ang anak mo, tatlo ang anak mo, 700 pesos pa rin iyong matatanggap mo; it’s fixed. Unlike sa education grant, it’s a variable. Kung tatlo iyong anak mo at nasa school at iba-ibang antas, iba-iba iyong value.

So ang isa sa mga panukala namin is, we keep the health grant—Panukala lamang ito, ayaw ko namang ma-taken out of context: We keep the health value, the health grant value at 700—sorry, meaning, when we say keep, based on that automatic indexing. But the new component doon is we might want to introduce, sabi ko sa pangulo, a first 1,000-day grant kung saan ang mga buntis, hanggang may anak ng 2-year old, may panibago silang grant that only last until matapos sila doon sa life stage na iyon para may insentibo sa kanila to look for, ang tawag namin, “health-seeking behaviors”. Ibig sabihin, mapipilitan silang pumunta sa health center, magparehistro kasi buntis sila; kumuha ng prenatal care, post-natal care, post-partum treatments; pagdating ng 0-2, immunization. May data kasi kaming pinakita kanina na iyong immunization ay mababa, it’s only at 18% for our 4Ps beneficiaries. Kasi nga, kumbaga, kapag malayo na iyong lugar na tinitirhan mo, nasa bundok ka, nasa isla ka, luluwas ka nang malayo, magastos para sa iyo eh. Pero if we suddenly introduce a first 1,000-day grant to defray the cost of commuting to your health center, maaaring ma-encourage silang pumunta sa mga health center. But it will only last, it will only be for the subset of 4Ps na may nagbubuntis o nagpapasuso or 0-2 iyong anak mo.

So hanggang doon lang muna tayo, then after 12 months, let’s say wala na iyon, mawawala iyong grant na iyon din. It’s something that’s being studied. At bakit sila, kasi nga sila iyong pinakamahirap at pinag-aaralan natin itong panukalang ito; prinopose namin sa pangulo, the president seemed receptive to it but again, he wants us to work with NEDA and PSA to sharpen the ideas somewhere.

MELVIN GASCON/PDI: Napag-usapan po ninyo sa briefing po kanina, sectoral meeting, sir, iyong AKAP. Did the President give any instructions on how—?

DSWD SEC. GATCHALIAN: We did not talk about it kanina. We did not. Melvin, to put it bluntly, there’s nothing yet to talk about because the guidelines are being crafted, ‘di ba. Parang, I think, we have to wait for the guidelines to come out first before we can actually do a full-blown discussion on AKAP.

MELVIN GASCON/PDI: Hindi po nabanggit ng Pangulo na this could be a possible …?

DSWD SEC. GATCHALIAN: No, no, because we were really focused on the indexing of financial assistance to inflation. We were focused on the first 1,000 days. We were focused on the 4Ps, actually.

MELVIN GASCON/PDI: Just to follow-up, sir. If you like AKAP so much, why did you not put it in your [inaudible]?

DSWD SEC. GATCHALIAN: When I got into the department, tapos na kasi iyong … na-submit na itong Tier 2. I was very new then. And I don’t claim to know all the right answers. So January 31 ako dumating, nagsa-submit na kami ng Tier 2 by mga Feb. In fact, at that time, Melvin, hindi ko nga alam ano ang Tier 2 eh. Marunong akong umamin. I work in government for a long time but in different branches. I came from the local government, and the legislature, hindi ko alam iyong Tier 2.

So our bureaucrats were submitting Tier 2. In fact, if you look at Tier 2, marami doon wala pa iyong mga prayoridad ko personally that I wanted to push. But sometime October, when I settled down – you can fact-check me on this, call Usec. Mapa – I did a listening tour in the department. I sought out former bureaucrats of the department that retired, one of them is former Undersecretary Flor Villar, known social worker who spent years in the department but retired even before I got there. She used to run the policy group department. So I sought her out to talk about social protection. And she said in our meeting, ‘I’m glad that you’re looking at the poor. But, Secretary, there’s a running policy paper in the department or a running policy idea in the department to start looking at the near poor.’ After that po, I wrote it down, sometime October, I called Usec. Mapa kasi he is a known poverty expert and asked him.

So October ay hinuhubog ko na iyong idea with the real hopes of this year, sana mapasok ko but nandiyan na eh. So you can tell from my smile that it’s a welcome addition to the department’s budget. And the Congress already has done its part. It’s up to us now to make sure that it’s implemented properly.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Last question.

MELVIN GASCON/PDI: Who among the congressmen did you talk to about AKAP, sir?

DSWD SEC. GATCHALIAN: Ah, sila ang naglagay eh. I had casual conversation; nothing formal. Ang formal discussions ko are wit Undersecretary Mapa. He did a full-blown briefing on near poor for us on how they should be deciled from the lowest to the highest, kasi marami eh, ‘di ba. And would you know also, Melvin, that officially, there is no definition of near poor. Kaya nga ang nilagay doon sa Congress is minimum wage. Kasi ‘di ba, if, let’s say, your minimum wage—you know, I had a lengthy discussion on this. Let’s say, it runs around 12,000 something. Halimbawa, ilagay na natin, i-round off, 12,500 – what about 12,501? ‘Di ba, trying to box that concept is quite difficult that’s why it’s taking us time to define minimum wage. Sa law naman, hindi naman nila nilagay near poor eh; nilagay nila minimum wage, low-income individuals, I believe.

MS. OSEÑA-PAEZ: Okay, thank you. I’m sorry, we don’t have any more time for questions right now. This concludes our press briefing.

Thank you so much, Secretary Rex, for briefing us on the Marcos administration’s social protection and anti-poverty programs. And maraming salamat, Malacañang Press Corps.

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