The government has embarked on a poverty reduction program called the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) that provides grants to extremely poor households to improve their health, nutrition and education particularly of children aged 0-14.
It is the Filipino version of the World Bank-funded Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program where poor families receive cash provided their children regularly goes to public school, visits the health center for regular medical checkups and treatments.
Last week, more than 2000 beneficiaries from the towns of Zamboanguita, Guihulngan and Mabinay received money through this program.
A household-beneficiary can receive as much as P1,400 monthly for a maximum of five years, which includes P500 per month for nutrition and health expenses and P300 per month per child, with a maximum of 3 children per household, for educational expenses.
Admittedly, there have been some positive stories that have come about regarding how this money has allowed poor families to give their families a head start in life.
But it would seem that these stories are rather few and far between when compared to reports from the office of Rep. Henry Pryde Teves, who revealed that the sale and consumption of liquor and cigarettes increased by more than half last December, when it should have been a lean season because it was not yet harvest time.
Teves blames the increased spending for these vices to the 4Ps program. In Zamboanguita, Mayor Kit Marc Adanza also bared that several beneficiaries of the 4Ps program started frequenting billiard parlors and other entertainment joints.
Clearly, many beneficiaries are abusing their privilege. They do not deserve to be included in this program and should be removed from the list once proven to have used the money wrongly.