DSWD, SSS TO FORGE MOA FOR LOW-COST SOCIAL INSURANCE FOR 4Ps BENEFICIARIES

By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Committed to serve well the proverbial “least of our brethren”, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will sign on Monday (8 July 2024) a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Social Security System (SSS) for a low-cost social insurance for the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

“The DSWD is fortunate to collaborate with the state-run SSS. This partnership with SSS will extend social security coverage to our 4Ps beneficiaries, providing them with safety nets from income loss, sickness, and other financial burden,” DSWD Assistant Secretary and agency spokesperson Irene Dumlao said.

To be known as the “4Ps AlkanSSSya Program”, the DSWD and the SSS shall establish a contribution subsidy table specific for the 4Ps organized group, upon SSS’s determination based on actuarial study and the actual capacity of the beneficiaries to pay the minimum amount of P570.00 per month.

The SSS monthly premium will be shouldered by the beneficiaries themselves.

The 4Ps beneficiaries who are members of workers’ associations, informal sector groups (ISG), and Sustainable Livelihood Program Associations (SLPA) will also be covered by this partnership.

Under the agreement, the SSS will also assist the DSWD in the registration and processing of applications of all eligible beneficiaries.

The roles and responsibilities of both agencies in the conduct of seminars and orientation activities for the 4Ps organized groups are also included in the MOA.

“It is necessary that our 4Ps beneficiaries are educated on the importance and benefits of SSS membership and savings. This also contributes to our financial literacy efforts among our beneficiaries,” the DSWD spokesperson said.

Earlier, 4Ps National Program Manager and Director Gemma Gabuya said  insurance is integral to the DSWD’s Social Welfare and Development Indicator  (SWDI) Framework.

“Before graduating from 4Ps, it is crucial for beneficiaries to have security or insurance,” Gabuya said.

Gabuya said this initiative is part of the DSWD’s commitment to ensure the financial security and sustainability of 4Ps beneficiaries as they transition out of the program.

The 4Ps, one of the DSWD’s flagship programs, is a national poverty reduction strategy institutionalized under Republic Act No. 11310 or “An Act Institutionalizing Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps)” signed on April 17, 2019. 

The 4Ps puts a premium on giving poor and vulnerable families the means to break-away from the intergenerational cycle of poverty through human capital investments. 

As of May 31, there are 4.3 million household-beneficiaries nationwide that are receiving conditional cash grants under the program. 

(el Amigo/mnm)